EDITORIAL: No honour among thieves

Beyond the social media frenzy, the alleged theft of a watch and cologne belonging to late president Hage Geingob leaves us deeply worried for countless reasons.

First, these are sentimentally personal items. Perhaps collector’s items – especially for his children. It’s not a watch you put on for a Chula Chula soccer match on a lazy Sunday afternoon or for a Saturday night of binge drinking with the boys.

You either frame it in memory of your departed father, or you wear it on a rare occasion in his memory.

But instead, the watch is in viral videos being sold on the black market for a pittance. The actual price of the watch – of a civil servant - is a subject for another day.

Be that as it may, this is Geingob’s watch we are talking about - not a timepiece of a herder whistling at his goats in the communal jungles of Mangetti. If the dead could be resurrected, Axaba would be hurt.

This alleged theft could be the tip of the iceberg regarding how the entire Geingob estate is being handled. While his wealth remains a private matter, the laxity around his precious items – amid supposed tight state security - is disconcerting. More so when the alleged thief is a state security agent assigned to protect the former first family.

Are our leaders guarded by morally loose and ethically compromised agents? How were they selected and vetted? And can we trust them with the well-being of our leaders, including protecting their lives?