Spate of armed attacks on walkers

A series of armed attacks on dog walkers in green spaces in an around Windhoek has raised concern. In two incidents this week, one at Farm Windhoek and one at Avis Dam, residents were held up by armed robbers while taking their dogs for a walk. In line with this, Green Space, the group that manages the area around Avis Dam, pleaded with nature lovers and dog walkers to assist with funding in order to boost security measures. “We need citizens to come forward to help us fight these criminals,” said Ulla von Holtz, vice-chairperson of Green Space. She said currently security guards are stationed at the entrance to Avis Dam from 07:00 to 19:00 every day. In order to increase the presence of security guards, public funding was required, she said. “We want to make it as safe as we can, but we need funding,” Von Holtz said. Von Holtz said this was the first armed attack at the Avis nature reserve, a day after a similar armed robbery took place near Kleine Kuppe, at Farm Windhoek. Von Holtz appealed to the public not to visit remote areas after sunset, when few people are around and criminals can easily pounce. Windhoek residents Jens Schneider and Belinda Retief were robbed at Avis Dam on Tuesday evening. In a public statement yesterday, Schneider described the attackers as “aggressive and threatening”. He said they were armed with a firearm and a knife. The couple were forced to provide access codes and passwords to their phones, so that the robbers could deactivate all tracking functions. “All the time, one of the men was threatening to shoot me and the other two men threatened Belinda with their knives near her face and neck. They forced us both to take off our shoes,” Schneider said. The three armed men stole an iPhone, two pairs of walking shoes, a pair of Rayban sunglasses, one car radio and a sixpack of Savanna Dry. The robbery happened around 20:00, the couple said. On Monday, a couple walking their dogs in the early morning hours close to Kleine Kuppe were able to fend off the attackers with pepper spray. During the struggle, one of the men threw a rock at the man wielding the pepper spray, injuring his shoulder. Nevertheless the attackers fled. No arrests have been made to date. A spokesperson for neighbourhood watches in Windhoek, Francois Löttering, yesterday advised nature lovers and dog walkers not to walk alone, but to remain in groups. He added that it is advisable to leave any valuables at home, including jewellery and electronic gadgets. “Rather be safe than sorry,” Löttering warned. When confronted by attackers or robbers, “try to remember as much as possible about the thug for possible identification,” he advised. Police spokesperson Deputy Commissioner Edwin Kanguatjivi warned that criminals often target potential victims in isolated areas such as nature reserves. He advised residents to remain alert and to “always walk in the company of others, not alone”.MICHAEL KAYUNDE

Spate of armed attacks on walkers

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Namibian Sun 2025-11-06

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Spate of armed attacks on walkers

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Namibian Sun 2025-11-06

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