Lahja Nashuuta
Benny Brendon Classen, the man who was allegedly raped in March 2021 by an intern doctor at the Katutura State Hospital, has passed away.
He died on Thursday at home in Windhoek aged 20, and will be buried on Saturday, 20 January.
Dennis Noa stands accused of raping Classen - an incapacitated patient - at the hospital two weeks after he was hit by an alleged drunk driver.
An unused condom was found on the scene of the rape, which prompted investigations.
Noa is currently out on bail and is due to hear the verdict in his trial on 17 January.
The Classen family is distraught that Benny did not get the necessary assistance from the authorities.
“It is unfair that our brother got raped in the care of the ministry of health and social services. No help was rendered to us, except from the Motor-Vehicle Accident (MVA) Fund, which assisted when he was moved to Paramount Hospital. Otherwise, after his discharge from there, we had to source our own medications, food and diapers,” said his niece Emily Classen, who spoke on behalf of the family.
“Before the rape case, we used to communicate with him. Although he could not talk, he could use body signs and eye contact to respond to and engage us. However, after the rape incident, he completely switched off and could no longer look at us. He cried day and night, and it was hard for us as family to deal with his pain,” Emily lamented.
Justice
She then revealed the family’s intention to fight tooth and nail for both perpetrators to be brought to book.
“As a family, we will continue to engage our lawyers to make sure that the perpetrators are arrested, and that justice takes its course,” said Emily.
The family is also planning to sue the government for failing to equip the state hospital with CCTV and cameras.
“How sure are we that our brother is the only victim of rape and abuse at the hands of health personnel? How many patients suffered and were raped while seeking medical help, and why are there no cameras in our State hospitals?” she questioned.
The family said Benny suffered a head trauma, and had been in an uncommunicative state.
“We all feel that it was by God’s grace that our brother survived and upon arrival at the hospital, the doctors told us that he only had a 4% chance of survival. Hence, we strongly believe that for Benny to have been with us for the past two years was by the grace of God, as well as family prayers and support”.
While the family is grieving their loss, they say the healing process will involve more than just acceptance. The family is hoping for justice - and to see the driver responsible for the fatal accident as well as the intern doctor who is accused of raping him - to someday have their day in court, and for justice to be served.
“Justice needs to be served. The family opened a case against the driver on the same day that the accident happened. The police took our report, but when we tried to make a follow-up at the Wanaheda police station the next day, we were told the file couldn’t be found. Strangely, the police could not trace our case,” Emily wondered.
She further expressed her disappointment on the way the court handled the intern doctor’s rape case, stating that the bail of N$10 000 did not sit well with the family as they felt the rape case contributed heavily to the victim’s illness.
The Ministry of Health and Social Services could not comment on the merits of the matter as it is now being handled in court.