Rape and domestic violence mar Christmas

Multiple cases of violence against women, including at least eight cases of rape and eight violent domestic disputes, were reported to the Namibian police over the past week.

The majority of victims of rape and assault were women but in one case of murder and domestic violence the victim was a man who was allegedly murdered by his 21-year-old girlfriend and a female accomplice at Usakos.

The police reported that Willem Rudolf (40) was discovered dead in his room by his girlfriend on 27 December.

Although it was first suspected that he had sustained the fatal injuries during an assault at a bar the previous evening, it later appeared that his girlfriend and another woman had attacked him in his shack that night and left him for dead, before reporting the alleged discovery of his body the next day.

The two women were arrested and the investigation continues.

At Dordabis, a 35-year-old man was charged with rape after allegedly kidnapping a 15-year-old on 21 December. He allegedly transported her against her will to a farm where he kept her tied up for three days and raped her several times.

The suspect was arrested and was expected to make his first court appearance before the Katutura magistrate's court on 27 December 2018.

Another case of rape involving a 15-year-old girl was reported at Rehoboth on 25 December.

Police are still tracking down the suspect, who is known to them.

The police stated that the girl was lured to the suspect's room with an offer of cooldrink. There he attacked and sexually assaulted her.

A case of rape was opened after a 35-year-old pregnant woman was allegedly raped by a 20-year-old man at Kappsfarm on 23 December. He allegedly attacked her when she was returning home from a nearby shebeen. The man was arrested.

A 38-year-old man was arrested at Ondudu village after allegedly assaulting, threatening and raping a 25-year-old woman.

The police say he “dragged her from a cuca shop, beat her with his fists and threatened to kill her”, before sexually assaulting her in her house without her consent.

A case of attempted murder and domestic violence is being investigated after a 50-year-old man allegedly hit a 38-year-old woman in the head with a stone.

She sustained serious injuries and was admitted to the Outapi state hospital on 24 December, where she remains in critical condition. The suspect was arrested.





A 28-year-old Angolan man was arrested at Okakoto village in the Okahao constituency, after he allegedly raped a 36-year-old woman multiple times. The police say the man was her former boyfriend and the father of her two children.

A 22-year-old man was arrested and charged with rape, assault and theft after he allegedly raped a woman leasing a room from him and stole N$800 from her handbag.

At Tsandi, a 22-year-old man was charged with rape, robbery and assault by threat after he allegedly attacked a 43-year-old woman with a knife, raped her and stole her cellphone.

A 21-year-old man was charged with rape and assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm after he allegedly attacked a 39-year-old woman who was returning from a memorial service at Gobabis on 21 December.

The police report that he dragged her to an abandoned property, severely beat her and raped her.

A charge of culpable homicide was opened against a 21-year-old woman in Walvis Bay after she allegedly pushed her father's girlfriend out of the house on 25 December. The woman fell, hit her head on the pavement and later died of her injuries.

It is reported that the deceased, Merceline Gaweses (28) arrived at her boyfriend's house on Christmas Day and “was reportedly disturbing the peace”, which led to the daughter pushing her out of the house. No arrest has been made.



Wild roads and other crimes

Several cases of culpable homicide and reckless driving are being investigated, including a Rundu car crash in which two police officers died and several people sustained serious injuries.

A police bakkie with eight occupants collided with a Zambian-registered truck between Rundu and Katima Mulilo on 28 December.

A male and female police officer died and their five surviving colleagues and two inmates being transported were injured and taken to the Rundu state hospital.

The truck driver escaped unharmed and was arrested.

In the Omusati Region, a 20-year-old unlicensed man sustained serious injuries after he lost control of a bakkie and crashed into a pole. Six passengers sustained minor injuries.

A 61-year-old man, Makaya Pineas Kuume, who was not in possession of a valid driver's licence, died on the gravel road between Okahao and Etilyasa village on 25 December after he tried to overtake another vehicle and lost control of his car.

A 32-year-old man was charged with murder after he handed himself over to the police after fatally stabbing another man on 25 December.

On the same day, Rudy Luveline Gertse was stabbed to death at Dordabis in an argument with another man while they were drinking.

A case of attempted murder was reported at Tubusis on Christmas Day after a 43-year-old man was shot with a bow and arrow.

The man was taken to hospital, where he remains in a stable condition. A suspect was arrested.

JANA-MARI SMITH