Windhoek
The Vice-Chancellor of the International University of Management (IUM), Virginia Namwandi, has expressed concern about young Namibians committing atrocities against the elderly, women and children.
“If we read the newspapers, listen to the news, surf the social media, we are inundated with bad news. Assault, abuse, incest, rape, corruption, all of these ills are eroding the social fibre of our society. All this is violating the very concepts that we have started as properties of culture – namely love, trust, caring, truth and honesty,” she said at the 23rd five-day IUM cultural festival that started on Monday and concludes on Friday.
Namwandi described as “despicable” an incident that took place a week ago in which a 57-year-old woman was allegedly raped by her 17-year-old grandson at Outjo in the Kunene Region.
Preliminary police investigations indicate the suspect and two male cousins, who all live with their grandmother, left home to visit other areas of town on that fateful day.
It is alleged the suspect returned home shortly after 20h00 and found his grandmother alone and asleep in her room.
The teenager entered his grandmother’s room and then choked and sexually assaulted the victim.
This incident is among several other gruesome cases, including grandsons axing their grannies to death over pension money.
Namwandi called on the youth to re-define their culture to contribute to a society where everybody is concerned about what is in the best interest of society.
“These unspeakable atrocities are often times perpetrated by Namibians against Namibians. What is even more appalling is that it is done to the most vulnerable, the very people who should be protected and cherished in the true context of our culture and humanity – our women and children,” she said.
“Let’s us ask ourselves who we are and where we are going.”
She added: “We are a nation, born from a kaleidoscope of people, but also born from common experiences of oppression, and other ills characterised by the oppressive apartheid regime.”
She also warned against an ethnocentric attitude, but rather for people to learn about and know each other.