While the country has still been reeling from the dark cloud of the slaying of a nine-year-old pupil, the wholeness of her body yet to be recovered, and the perpetrator(s) of the heinous crime still at large, yet another grisly inhumanity has been inflicted upon another and one of her innocent members with the mutilation and rape of yet another minor.
Only that this time the suspect was apprehended in no time. All credit to the country’s protective forces in this regard. But yet another rape and killing of a 41-year-old mother was reported thereafter.
The arrest of the suspect in the case of the minor, granted the brutal act was already committed. By the grace of ancestors the girl victim is still alive. But what she had to endure is as good as a death warrant. Because it is uncertain if she ever shall recover from the ordeal she went through, if she shall ever recover. Is and can the Land of the Brave, really be such any longer? With the slayings and butchering and mutilations of women and children continuing unabated.
The tears on the cheeks of bereaved mothers, as indeed of the entire community and society, these days hardly get time to dry, nor the inflicted hearts time to heal and the cries and wailings the respite to let alone mute. Neither are the memories provided time to refresh and recompose. Nor do the poor souls given any chance of expiation and/or cleansing from the demons of the times, before society is time and again visited upon by a slaying. Every second, minute, hour, day, week, month, the danger is lurking and ready to pounce. No woman and girl child, and even a boy child, is safe ever more wherever, even in what is supposed to be the comfort of their homes. Because therein lurks the biggest fear. Even the only last solace, prayers, are not much of a solace.
Many a prayer has there been, spurned most of the times by slaying after slaying, and mutilation after mutilation. But they seem no longer a requisite comfort and relief, even if only to keep the demons and evils at bay. The everyday prayer, which all along has been about the daily bread, in today’s Namibian society, is now about delivering it from the evils and demons of mutilations and slayings.
The country could in any way not have forgotten the brutal slaying and rape of that schoolgirl of the David Bezuidenhout High School. This is about 10 years ago. To this day none responsible has been arrested. Simply there has been no justice in this matter and the due process of law has as yet to take its course. How the family of that schoolgirl, let alone her fellow schoolmates and peers, can and are expected to have found closure to this matter, is inconceivable and incomprehensible. Certainly, they must still be grieving. The police, and the wheels of justice must for certain take cognizance of this. That out there families, schools, communities are still mourning. And every day and every step of the way they are made to be crying. Today is this family, school or community, then tomorrow that, putting salt into wounds, and reminding society that there cannot be no end to these crimes.
What is and have been happening cannot and are not just isolated unfortunate incidents but a mirror of a society under siege. A society that has become its own enemy on many conceivable fronts. Politicians without visions and willpower whose only raison d’etre is proximity to the national purse for own selfish interest, and ideologically and morally bankrupt. A civil service that is equally devoid of work ethics, discipline and commitment to service if altogether not incompetent.
Politicians pretending statesman- or womanship but in reality opposing for its own sake at best, and at worst envious and copycats of the current looters of the national resources. Law enforcement agencies that are helpless and hapless and equally under siege like the society they need to protect. A justice system that has been seemingly doing no more than lip service. Pretentious, flippant ecumenical leaders who are no longer a moral compass, but engulfed in sects besieging innocent and benign believers. A media confused about its noble calling resultantly rarely equipping itself to the task. Traditional leaders who do not seem to understand their genesis and essence in a democratic dispensation that Namibia is trying to nurture, let alone their duty to their communities as opposed to being pseudo-politicians at times regurgitating meaningless tribal venom to appease their unquestioning and unsuspecting communities.
Whereto? Whitherto? Until when? How can society protect itself? Can society any longer look hope and expect anything from their leaders whatever their hew, size and shape, as if the very leaders are partly or wholly to be blamed for the siege under which society is. Given that all leaders, with few exceptions, are not without blemish regarding the moral decay and the attendant carnage inflicted upon it as evidenced by the mutilations and slaying of its members. While the country has still been reeling from the dark cloud of the slaying of a nine-year-old pupil, the wholeness of her body yet to be recovered, and the perpetrator(s) of the heinous crime still at large, yet another grisly inhumanity has been inflicted upon another and one of her innocent members with the mutilation and rape of yet another minor.
Only that this time the suspect was apprehended in no time. All credit to the country’s protective forces in this regard. But yet another rape and killing of a 41-year-old mother was reported thereafter.
The arrest of the suspect in the case of the minor, granted the brutal act was already committed. By the grace of ancestors the girl victim is still alive. But what she had to endure is as good as a death warrant. Because it is uncertain if she ever shall recover from the ordeal she went through, if she shall ever recover. Is and can the Land of the Brave, really be such any longer? With the slayings and butchering and mutilations of women and children continuing unabated.
The tears on the cheeks of bereaved mothers, as indeed of the entire community and society, these days hardly get time to dry, nor the inflicted hearts time to heal and the cries and wailings the respite to let alone mute. Neither are the memories provided time to refresh and recompose. Nor do the poor souls given any chance of expiation and/or cleansing from the demons of the times, before society is time and again visited upon by a slaying. Every second, minute, hour, day, week, month, the danger is lurking and ready to pounce. No woman and girl child, and even a boy child, is safe ever more wherever, even in what is supposed to be the comfort of their homes. Because therein lurks the biggest fear. Even the only last solace, prayers, are not much of a solace.
Many a prayer has there been, spurned most of the times by slaying after slaying, and mutilation after mutilation. But they seem no longer a requisite comfort and relief, even if only to keep the demons and evils at bay. The everyday prayer, which all along has been about the daily bread, in today’s Namibian society, is now about delivering it from the evils and demons of mutilations and slayings.
The country could in any way not have forgotten the brutal slaying and rape of that schoolgirl of the David Bezuidenhout High School. This is about 10 years ago. To this day none responsible has been arrested. Simply there has been no justice in this matter and the due process of law has as yet to take its course. How the family of that schoolgirl, let alone her fellow schoolmates and peers, can and are expected to have found closure to this matter, is inconceivable and incomprehensible. Certainly, they must still be grieving. The police, and the wheels of justice must for certain take cognizance of this. That out there families, schools, communities are still mourning. And every day and every step of the way they are made to be crying. Today is this family, school or community, then tomorrow that, putting salt into wounds, and reminding society that there cannot be no end to these crimes.
What is and have been happening cannot and are not just isolated unfortunate incidents but a mirror of a society under siege. A society that has become its own enemy on many conceivable fronts. Politicians without visions and willpower whose only raison d’etre is proximity to the national purse for own selfish interest, and ideologically and morally bankrupt. A civil service that is equally devoid of work ethics, discipline and commitment to service if altogether not incompetent. Politicians pretending statesman- or womanship but in reality opposing for its own sake at best, and at worst envious and copycats of the current looters of the national resources. Law enforcement agencies that are helpless and hapless and equally under siege like the society they need to protect. A justice system that has been seemingly doing no more than lip service. Pretentious, flippant ecumenical leaders who are no longer a moral compass, but engulfed in sects besieging innocent and benign believers. A media confused about its noble calling resultantly rarely equipping itself to the task. Traditional leaders who do not seem to understand their genesis and essence in a democratic dispensation that Namibia is trying to nurture, let alone their duty to their communities as opposed to being pseudo-politicians at times regurgitating meaningless tribal venom to appease their unquestioning and unsuspecting communities.
Whereto? Whitherto? Until when? How can society protect itself? Can society any longer look hope and expect anything from their leaders whatever their hew, size and shape, as if the very leaders are partly or wholly to be blamed for the siege under which society is. Given that all leaders, with few exceptions, are not without blemish regarding the moral decay and the attendant carnage inflicted upon it as evidenced by the mutilations and slaying of its members.