Teenager flees domestic slavery
A case of human trafficking is being investigated by the Namibian police after a 13-year-old Angolan girl allegedly escaped from a house in Oshakati where she claims she had to do domestic work without pay.
The girl, who is currently in the care of the police, was discovered by a member of the public at Omungwelume last week when she was spotted walking towards the Angolan border.
She told police “she got tired of suffering and then escaped”. She said she was never paid.
The police say the girl told immigration authorities that she lived in Lobito in Angola, and that her mother had given her to the unnamed woman who brought her to Oshakati to work as a domestic slave.
Police spokesperson Chief Inspector Kaunapawa Shikwambi told Namibian Sun yesterday that no arrests had been made and the investigation continued.
She said the girl was taken to a safe haven.
In Namibia, the employment of a child is considered a form of human trafficking. Moreover, employing any person through coercion and without pay amounts to slavery.
Meanwhile, the Oshikango police are investigating the rape of a six-year-old girl, allegedly by a 22-year old neighbour, at Onengali village on Sunday. The suspect is in custody.
A case of culpable homicide is being investigated after an Iveco bus transporting 27 passengers between Otjiwarongo and Otavi crashed on Saturday.
The driver lost control when he tried to overtake a truck. Three people died on the spot, including a five-year-old girl, identified as Sylvia Mekulilo Stefanus.
Inspector Maureen Mbeha of the Otjozondjupa police told Nampa that the driver, Hofeni Uhanda (36), and a passenger, Leena Tuwilika Kasino (32), were also declared dead at the scene.
Legally, the Iveco bus is permitted to carry no more than 16 passengers.
Several other occupants in the bus sustained minor to serious injuries and were taken to the Otavi Health Centre for treatment. The 43-year-old truck driver escaped unhurt.
Two men were arrested at Groot-Aub on Saturday night and charged with murder after they attacked Ricky Booi Kock (29) with a knife and pieces of a broken bottle, stabbing him in the neck and head multiple times.
The police say the three men were allegedly drinking and playing dominos at a house when an argument erupted.
Police are investigating an armed robbery and attempted murder of a 23-year-old man who was shot and robbed in the Arebbusch River in Khomasdal on Saturday night.
The incident occurred on Friday night near Shanghai Street. The unidentified victim and another person were searching for a friend when they were approached by six men armed with machetes and a firearm.
The man was shot when he tried to flee. The armed robbers stole a cellphone and a pair of All Star shoes he was wearing. No arrests have been made.
JANA-MARI SMITH
The girl, who is currently in the care of the police, was discovered by a member of the public at Omungwelume last week when she was spotted walking towards the Angolan border.
She told police “she got tired of suffering and then escaped”. She said she was never paid.
The police say the girl told immigration authorities that she lived in Lobito in Angola, and that her mother had given her to the unnamed woman who brought her to Oshakati to work as a domestic slave.
Police spokesperson Chief Inspector Kaunapawa Shikwambi told Namibian Sun yesterday that no arrests had been made and the investigation continued.
She said the girl was taken to a safe haven.
In Namibia, the employment of a child is considered a form of human trafficking. Moreover, employing any person through coercion and without pay amounts to slavery.
Meanwhile, the Oshikango police are investigating the rape of a six-year-old girl, allegedly by a 22-year old neighbour, at Onengali village on Sunday. The suspect is in custody.
A case of culpable homicide is being investigated after an Iveco bus transporting 27 passengers between Otjiwarongo and Otavi crashed on Saturday.
The driver lost control when he tried to overtake a truck. Three people died on the spot, including a five-year-old girl, identified as Sylvia Mekulilo Stefanus.
Inspector Maureen Mbeha of the Otjozondjupa police told Nampa that the driver, Hofeni Uhanda (36), and a passenger, Leena Tuwilika Kasino (32), were also declared dead at the scene.
Legally, the Iveco bus is permitted to carry no more than 16 passengers.
Several other occupants in the bus sustained minor to serious injuries and were taken to the Otavi Health Centre for treatment. The 43-year-old truck driver escaped unhurt.
Two men were arrested at Groot-Aub on Saturday night and charged with murder after they attacked Ricky Booi Kock (29) with a knife and pieces of a broken bottle, stabbing him in the neck and head multiple times.
The police say the three men were allegedly drinking and playing dominos at a house when an argument erupted.
Police are investigating an armed robbery and attempted murder of a 23-year-old man who was shot and robbed in the Arebbusch River in Khomasdal on Saturday night.
The incident occurred on Friday night near Shanghai Street. The unidentified victim and another person were searching for a friend when they were approached by six men armed with machetes and a firearm.
The man was shot when he tried to flee. The armed robbers stole a cellphone and a pair of All Star shoes he was wearing. No arrests have been made.
JANA-MARI SMITH
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