Residents of Keetmanshoop have urged the government to step up action against the growing crisis of gender-based violence (GBV).
The residents dressed in black and joined by religious leaders staged a protest march to the ||Kharas Police regional head office, demanding justice for slain 33-year-old Juanita Karolus.
The body of Karolus, a resident of Keetmanshoop, was found behind the People's Primary School in Windhoek, two days after she arrived in the capital city.
Group Spokesperson Alwina Schmidt said, "This horrific incident reminds us of the devastating acts of gender-based violence that remain unanswered, unresolved and unacknowledged – crimes committed in the very face of our women and girl children. We also remember the late Magdalena Stoffels, the late Ingrid Maasdorp, and the late Beyonce !Kharuxas, whose lives were brutally taken before their time."
The protesters also condemned individuals who shield perpetrators of these barbaric and horrifying killings, while at the same time decrying the violence.
They demanded that the government take urgent action against GBV perpetrators, among others, with harsh sentences reflecting the gravity of their crimes.
"We, as the Keetmanshoop community, stand in solidarity with the rest of the country to highlight that we as a nation are fed up and up in arms with gender-based violence. And it must be dealt with as a country-wide pandemic and must be treated as a nationwide emergency," said one of the demonstrators, Elizabeth Karools.
||Kharas Police Regional Commander, Marius Katamila, received the petition. He said murder concerns the whole community, and therefore, "I am appreciative of receiving this petition. And I would encourage the community to unite in our efforts to stand together."
Commissioner Katamila pledged to forward the petition to the Inspector General of the Namibian Police, Lieutenant-General Joseph Shikongo.
||Kharas Governor Dawid Gertze also addressed the protesters, saying, "These things that are happening are indicative of a broken society, a broken community. And we need to mend that. We have become so ungodly that we disregard the lives of others, even though we claim to be Christians. Please, for God's sake, let us change our hearts and minds."
The late Karolus' mother, Magrietha Karolus, described the manner in which her daughter died as deeply painful.
"As a Christian, I will forgive the perpetrator, but I am leaving all in the hands of the government. This tragedy did not only happen to my daughter. Honestly, her death has deeply hurt me. She was my breadwinner and pillar in times of hardship."
She expressed optimism that the perpetrator will eventually be brought to justice.