WINDHOEK – The Eichhoff family donated two cattle to the family of the late Axarob Slinger to use as part of the funeral arrangements. The 52-year-old Slinger was shot dead last week with his three dogs and his body as well as of the dogs were buried in an aardvark burrow at Vergenoeg farm in the Hochfeld district of Otjozondjupa Region. Karl Eichoff, a son of one of the local commercial farmers, was arrested in connection with the murder and made his first court appearance late last week. He remains in jail.
Eichhof’s father, Peter Eichhoff, confirmed to New Era yesterday that the family has pledged to assist Slinger’s family with funeral arrangements and would donate two cattle. Eichhoff said said the decision to donate two cows was made at the request of the jailed Eichhoff junior.
Milka Hangula, the sister to the late Slinger, told New Era yesterday that the funeral arrangements are scheduled for the coming Saturday, at Okangono, 14 kilometres north of Hochfeld. Hangula also appealed for assistance from the public.
Meanwhile, the Public Service Union of Namibia (PSUN) has condemned the coldblooded murder of Slinger. “In our state of mental turmoil many questions keep propping up and one inevitable question among them is whether the national reconciliation policy has achieved its objectives and if so, how it has done so. In any case what, where, or was, its object,“ said PSUN secretary general, Victor Kazonyati, in a press release issued yesterday.
PSUN is now calling for “a national debate at parliamentary level to meaningfully address the issue of violent crime with the seriousness and urgency it deserves.” Kazonyati said that it does not help the nation, and the victims of such violence to organise and stage demonstrations only to forget until another vile crime awakens the nation for another demonstration.
“Namibian history [is] abound [with] episodes of white farm owners killing their bonded contract labourers at the expiry of bond period to avoid paying such labourers the wages that would have accrued over the bond period,” he adds.
By Kuzeeko Tjitemisa