The shoe on the other foot - man on the receiving end of GBV
For years, Namibia’s gender-based violence crisis has followed a grim, familiar pattern: men assaulting, abusing, and sometimes killing their wives, partners, or girlfriends. It’s a tragic legacy that has scarred families and filled national headlines.
But recent cases emerging from the Kavango regions reveal a troubling shift. Women are now accused of launching violent attacks against their partners—a chilling sign that the systems meant to protect people are failing, leaving some feeling retaliation is their only option.
Kavango’s shocking cases
In Rundu’s Tumweneni informal settlement, police arrested a 37-year-old woman accused of setting her boyfriend’s shack on fire while he slept. After allegedly starting the blaze, she fled to her residence and pretended to be asleep. Neighbours tracked her footprints back and found her feigning sleep. Police say she later confessed.
Despite this, the boyfriend, 47-year-old Joseph Anton, refused to press charges.
“I went to the police to give my statement, but then I told them I didn’t want her to be behind bars. I said they must let her go, and we will settle the matter ourselves,” Anton told the media.
His daughter, Maria Anton, criticised his decision:
“I was shocked when my father dropped the case. Just a week earlier, he had evicted me from the house, reportedly at her request. Maybe it was her plan all along to burn the house so that there would be no trace.”
Tumweneni chairperson Alexander Muyambango, who is Anton’s cousin, condemned the choice to withdraw charges.
“She has tried to burn the shack before, she has tried to poison him and even stab him. This isn’t something we can ignore,” Muyambango said.
In Mayara village, Kavango West, another man was left with severe burns to his face and arm after his wife allegedly poured boiling cooking oil on him while he slept on 22 June 2025. The suspect, Maria Namutenya Neromba, was arrested two days later and charged with attempted murder. She was denied bail during her first court appearance on 26 June.
And in Rehoboth, police arrested a 42-year-old woman on 28 December 2024 for allegedly stabbing her boyfriend once in the chest with a kitchen knife during an argument at Nelux Man Shebeen No. 1 in Block E. He died at the scene. Police recovered the murder weapon and charged her with murder.
Authorities warn of rising violence
Kavango West regional police commander, Commissioner Julia Sakuwa-Neo, confirmed the arrests and expressed concern about the surge in GBV cases in the region.
“We are worried about the increase in GBV cases. In 2024, we had 31 rape cases. This year alone (January to June 2025), we already have 60 GBV cases,” she said at the launch of the #EndGBVNamibia campaign.
WHO estimates suggest that 35% of women nationwide have suffered intimate-partner or sexual violence, while police in Kavango say they recorded over 8 000 cases in two years, with 521 in Kavango East alone.
Kavango West logged 60 cases in the first half of 2025.
“Not victories for gender equality ”
Rundu Urban Constituency Councillor Vicky Kauma cautioned against seeing these reversals as triumphs:
“We cannot celebrate women turning violent. These cases are not victories for gender equality—they are tragic proof that our society is failing to address domestic violence in all its forms. Women are resorting to crime instead of finding help.”
Meanwhile, Bank Windhoek has donated blankets to men who lost property in the Tumweneni shack fires blamed on their partners.
Commissioner Sakuwa-Neo added:
“Violence breeds more violence. We need to find peaceful ways to solve our differences. The law will still prosecute these acts.”
Namibia is currently running the #EndGBVNamibia campaign, which was co-launched on 4 June by ICT Minister Emma Theofelus and Gender Equality Minister Emma Kantema. The campaign urges all Namibians—from households to schools and communities—to reject violence in all its forms and create safer spaces for everyone.
But recent cases emerging from the Kavango regions reveal a troubling shift. Women are now accused of launching violent attacks against their partners—a chilling sign that the systems meant to protect people are failing, leaving some feeling retaliation is their only option.
Kavango’s shocking cases
In Rundu’s Tumweneni informal settlement, police arrested a 37-year-old woman accused of setting her boyfriend’s shack on fire while he slept. After allegedly starting the blaze, she fled to her residence and pretended to be asleep. Neighbours tracked her footprints back and found her feigning sleep. Police say she later confessed.
Despite this, the boyfriend, 47-year-old Joseph Anton, refused to press charges.
“I went to the police to give my statement, but then I told them I didn’t want her to be behind bars. I said they must let her go, and we will settle the matter ourselves,” Anton told the media.
His daughter, Maria Anton, criticised his decision:
“I was shocked when my father dropped the case. Just a week earlier, he had evicted me from the house, reportedly at her request. Maybe it was her plan all along to burn the house so that there would be no trace.”
Tumweneni chairperson Alexander Muyambango, who is Anton’s cousin, condemned the choice to withdraw charges.
“She has tried to burn the shack before, she has tried to poison him and even stab him. This isn’t something we can ignore,” Muyambango said.
In Mayara village, Kavango West, another man was left with severe burns to his face and arm after his wife allegedly poured boiling cooking oil on him while he slept on 22 June 2025. The suspect, Maria Namutenya Neromba, was arrested two days later and charged with attempted murder. She was denied bail during her first court appearance on 26 June.
And in Rehoboth, police arrested a 42-year-old woman on 28 December 2024 for allegedly stabbing her boyfriend once in the chest with a kitchen knife during an argument at Nelux Man Shebeen No. 1 in Block E. He died at the scene. Police recovered the murder weapon and charged her with murder.
Authorities warn of rising violence
Kavango West regional police commander, Commissioner Julia Sakuwa-Neo, confirmed the arrests and expressed concern about the surge in GBV cases in the region.
“We are worried about the increase in GBV cases. In 2024, we had 31 rape cases. This year alone (January to June 2025), we already have 60 GBV cases,” she said at the launch of the #EndGBVNamibia campaign.
WHO estimates suggest that 35% of women nationwide have suffered intimate-partner or sexual violence, while police in Kavango say they recorded over 8 000 cases in two years, with 521 in Kavango East alone.
Kavango West logged 60 cases in the first half of 2025.
“Not victories for gender equality ”
Rundu Urban Constituency Councillor Vicky Kauma cautioned against seeing these reversals as triumphs:
“We cannot celebrate women turning violent. These cases are not victories for gender equality—they are tragic proof that our society is failing to address domestic violence in all its forms. Women are resorting to crime instead of finding help.”
Meanwhile, Bank Windhoek has donated blankets to men who lost property in the Tumweneni shack fires blamed on their partners.
Commissioner Sakuwa-Neo added:
“Violence breeds more violence. We need to find peaceful ways to solve our differences. The law will still prosecute these acts.”
Namibia is currently running the #EndGBVNamibia campaign, which was co-launched on 4 June by ICT Minister Emma Theofelus and Gender Equality Minister Emma Kantema. The campaign urges all Namibians—from households to schools and communities—to reject violence in all its forms and create safer spaces for everyone.
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