WINDHOEK – A nine-month pregnant woman had to undergo an emergency operation to help deliver a child after being stabbed several times by her husband.
A heavily pregnant Lucia Shikongo had to run for help to the nearest police station in Windhoek’s Otjomuise residential area after being brutally attacked, allegedly by her husband. The incident is said to have happened between 15:00 and 16:00 on Friday last week. Lucia was in a stable condition when New Era visited her in hospital yesterday before she went in for surgery.
Shikongo was stabbed with a knife several times in her back and chest and sustained deep severe cuts all over her arms as she tried to ward off the knife attack. According to a family member who spoke on condition of anonymity, the couple who got married in 2007 together went out that afternoon in their vehicle. Later that afternoon they surprised family members when they each returned in separate taxis.
Relatives had to retrieve the vehicle that was left parked on the side of the road along the Otjomuise road. “[The husband] himself arrived at the house first that evening and shortly thereafter we saw the wife arriving in a different taxi, which left us wondering what was happening. Their younger niece, who also lives with them came from the house running some minutes later to inform us that the couple was fighting. We ran into the house to separate them,” said the relative.
Shikongo ran out of the house into the neighbour’s house and Ananias allegedly ran after her with a knife in hand and barged through the door forcefully as neighbours tried to lock the door. “He ran into the house and began attacking his pregnant wife, he stabbed her all over, he tried to stab her in the stomach actually but she kept blocking his attacks with her arms and hands which have been left severely cut,” said the relative.
Many more people from the street where the incident happened allegedly ran to view the attack and as they tried to restrain Ananias, Shikongo got up and ran away. She ran to the police station from where she was taken to the Katutura Hospital and was later transferred to the Central Hospital.
Ananias allegedly turned his attack on the neighbours by throwing stones at them when he couldn’t locate the whereabouts of his wife. It is not known whether Ananias has been arrested as he has allegedly disappeared.
By Kakunawe Shinana