By John Travolter Matali
OMUTHIYA – A former Namibia Defence Force employee Toivo Uushona (35) and his wife Sesilia Uushona (35) a primary school teacher were arrested by the police on Sunday for rape and obstructing the course of justice, respectively.
Toivo Uushona, who now works for the Falkon Security company, was arrested for rape and assault, while his wife was arrested for obstruction of justice. The complainant is a niece to Uushona’s wife.
“Uushona started assaulting the 16-year-old Grade 10 learner with a belt. She ran outside where he followed her and continued to beat her, using an electrical extension cord. The incident took place in front of his wife,” narrated Deputy Commissioner Naomi Katjiua.
As a result of the beating the victim fell sick a few days later and the aunt took the minor to Okatope clinic where a nurse noticed the bruises on her body and asked the aunt what happened. To which she responded that the bruises were the result of her husband punishing the child for coming home late. The nurse then referred the child to Onanjokwe.
“The aunt was not present at Onanjokwe last week Friday and the child used this opportunity to tell medical practitioners what had been happening to her at home. It was discovered her aunt did not only forbade her from seeking medical attention after the beating but also forced her to wear clothes to conceal her injuries. In addition, the husband had allegedly raped her in 2012 and threatened to kill her if she told his wife or went to hospital for treatment,” said Katjiua.
The victim has been hospitalised since her admittance on March 31 2014. The incident was reported late last Friday night, investigated on Saturday and the couple arrested on Sunday. Both were surprised at being arrested for what they claimed was disciplining the child for coming home late, while Uushona’s wife apparently knew about the alleged rape.
“The victim is only 16 years old, if the rape took place in 2012 she was only 14, which means the crime falls into the category of statutory rape. To mothers out there and indeed the community at large, we should not hide crimes because the violence will eventually spill over to other members of the family including you and your wife and children,” said the deputy commissioner.
“I urge mothers and fathers to do away with the statement ‘It takes an entire village to raise a child’ because this no longer applies in today’s world. If you cannot be there for your own child they will fall prey to all sorts of evils. Remember it is the same community that is raping, abusing and killing our children on a weekly basis,” reflected Katjiua.
The deputy commissioner also applauded health workers at Okatope and Onanjokwe for the important role they played in bringing the couple to book.
The couple have been married for seven years and have a son together, however the husband has three other children out of wedlock one of whom is a teenager staying with the couple.
Both are scheduled to appear in the Ondangwa Magistrate’s Court for the alleged crimes.