The investigating officer in the rape and serious assault matter of an eight-year-old child on Tuesday told Windhoek High Court Judge Dinnah Usiku that the child told her: “Aunty, aunty, that man hurt me, he cut me between my legs.”

Detective warrant officer Kawiwa yesterday testified in the rape, assault, attempted rape and attempted murder trial of Gavin Gawanab.

Gawanab is accused of 23 offences, including the rape and mutilation of an eight-year-old girl in 2018. He is accused of attempted murder after allegedly strangling the minor girl with intent to murder her, assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and a further count of rape of the same victim. The evidence yesterday was all in connection with this victim.

The incidents happened on 28 October 2018 near farm Satan’s Loch in the Windhoek area. After allegedly violating the little girl, he went into hiding in the mountains surrounding Windhoek, causing a massive manhunt for him. He was on bail for a number of offences at the time of the attack on the minor girl. 

He pleaded not guilty to all charges when his trial started in February last year.

According to Kawiwa, she received a call from the Otjomuise police station about a girl that was sexually assaulted. She and a colleague then drove to Otjomuise where she found a woman who was with a young girl who was obviously in much pain. She said she could observe the girl leaning on the woman and that could not sit or stand. She also observed blood running down her tights. 

She then took the girl from the woman who turned out to be the mother of the child and drove with her to the office of the Gender Based Violence Protection Unit at the Katutura Hospital. While they were driving, the child was crying uncontrollably and through her tears told her: “Aunty, aunty, I’m paining, that man hurt me, he cut me between my legs.”

She further said that she then took the child to the doctor who admitted her to the Central Hospital for treatment.

She also called for a social worker and while they were waiting for the doctor and the social worker, the child told her that they were on their way to a farm when a man started to follow them. According to Kawiwa, the child informed her that the man at first grabbed another child and released her saying “no you are not the one I want, you are too thin.”

 The man then grabbed the victim and took her behind some bushes, Kawiwa said the victim showed her, where he removed her tights and panties and tried to penetrate her. When he, however, could not penetrate her, he took out his knife and cut her between her privates and her anus, Kawiwa recounted what the child told her. 

She further said the child then told her that after the man cut her, he then entered her. Kawiwa further said that the child told her that she could identify the man and described his clothes as denim shorts and a pink t-shirt.

The matter was then postponed to 17 October and Gawanab remains in custody. He is represented by Mbanga Siyomunji on instructions of Legal Aid and the State by Innocencia Nyoni.

– rrouth@nepc.com.na