Magreth Nunuhe
I AM sure that by now much condemnation and outrage have reached the ears of our President, lawmakers and the public about the heinous killings that have sent shockwaves through all corners of our otherwise tranquil and beautiful land.
I am sure by now many have already forgotten about this moral decay and gone back to their little cocoons waiting for yet another ‘passion killing’ to happen so that they can buzz social media and traditional media such as radio, print and television with all that should be done.
This is how complacent we have become as a nation; we just watch and wait like night owls flying from one tree to the next so that we are seen to be expressing our dismay but never want to catch the fire to save one of our own.
What happened to our once brave, caring and feisty people that stood behind each other and sloganeered with conviction that ‘an injury to one is an injury to all’?
Where are our leaders of yesteryear who were ready to die for motherland and sacrifice everything for a better tomorrow? Surely, that spirit could not have withered away with the dawn of independence! We need to bring back that moral fiber of oneness and unity and care for each other as brothers and sisters.
Some blame Omusati Region for the escalation of passion killings because statistics show that the majority of cases reported were from that area and some have even gone as far as blaming a particular tribe for such acts. It is as though these acts are immune to a certain group of people and they have thus washed their hands of this disturbing phenomenon.
Let me explain this to you; cruelty and mental insanity have no face, tribe or geographical origin. Whether ten women were killed in Omusati or Oshana Region and only one case was recorded in the Erongo or Omaheke Region, it does not consequentially become a regional or tribal thing – it is a national crisis.
Any Namibian woman whose human rights have been violated or continue to be infringed upon should be a concern for all of us to take a stand and have compassion for the victims and their families. We should stop indirect promotion of tribalism with such an ambiguous way of thinking because we are ultimately responsible for how our children’s attitudes and mindsets are framed.
Let us think how we can address this problem together as one nation. Let us look for preventative measures rather than being only reactive after a murder has been committed. It’s fine that our people want a redress of the Constitution and want the courts to pass stiffer sentences but that is not what is most important. We want to save lives and the only way is when we become more caring towards others.
Let’s report cases of abuse and threats whether with or without the consent of the victim to the highest authorities. Let’s help to shield the lives of our fellow citizens instead of only becoming witness to these gruesome crimes. An injury to one is an injury to all. Eewa!