Swakopmund man pleads guilty after shocking child abuse clip goes viral

Anthony Doeseb (36) pleaded guilty to assaulting his eight-year-old son in Swakopmund last Friday after a video of the abuse went viral on social media.

He made his first appearance in this matter in the Swakopmund Magistrate’s Court on Monday and faces charges of assault with grievous bodily harm and contravening the Child Care and Protection Act.

Bail for Doeseb was opposed by the child’s mother, who fears retribution from the accused if he is released. The court told Doeseb he will remain in custody but has the right to make a formal bail application.

The matter was postponed to 29 April for further investigation.

‘Stop it!’

Doeseb's assault of his son was captured on video by a neighbour. He was seen violently attacking the child, slapping and punching him repeatedly with one hand while holding his arm in a tight grip with the other.

He is also seen wagging his finger at the boy. The video is more than a minute long. The child is heard screaming and tries to evade the assault on various occasions, at times managing to dodge the swinging hand.

The anguished witness who recorded the incident is heard saying that the boy was “his own son, his firstborn".

When the boy falls to the ground, the person recording calls out several times for the accused to stop it! Don’t beat the boy like that!” It appears the accused looks at the person recording but continues the assault nonetheless.

Previous incident

The incident was reported to the police and Doeseb was arrested on Sunday.

This is, however, not his first brush with the law. On Monday, he had to explain to the court why he failed to appear on 17 February in another assault with grievous bodily harm case dating back to 2022.

A warrant of arrest had been issued for him, but he told the court that he was ill and had been booked off by a doctor. He said he came to court two days later to submit the doctor’s letter, but the magistrates were not available at the time. He presented the medical certificate to the court on Monday and the warrant was cancelled.

That matter was postponed to 7 July.