A former presidential candidate and traditional leader Frans Migub /Goagoseb will appear in the Gobabis Magistrate’s Court today following his arrest last week for allegedly assaulting a transgender woman. This comes after the victim, Daniel ‘Ashanti’ Koos, opened a case of assault to cause grievous bodily harm against the 65-year-old /Goagoseb. Omaheke regional police commander Andreas Haingura said /Goagoseb was arrested alongside a 22-year-old Lukas Namuyeya. 

A video recording, which has since gone viral on social media, shows /Goagoseb whipping the transgender woman while tied to a chair. According to Koos, the police did not want her to open a case against /Goagoseb, allegedly because of her sexual orientation. Koos told New Era it was the second time /Goagoseb assaulted her, with the first beating having occurred in December. 
Koos allegedly extorted money from /Goagoseb by pretending to be a young woman that the chief was interested in and has at some point communicated with on Koos’ cellphone. It is also alleged that when /Goagoseb found out in December that Koos was pretending to be that woman, he assaulted him. 

Director of Rights for All Movement Organisation (RAM) and Gender Diversity Movement Organisation Wendelinus Hamutenya condemned the incident, saying the levels of human rights violations demonstrated in the video is unacceptable. 
In addition, Jholerina Timbo Executive Director of Wings to Transcend Namibia said/Goagoseb took the law into his own hands by beating and kidnapping the victim. “The victim was treated in the most heinous and with malicious intent. Taking a video while doing such an act is with malicious intent,” said Timbo. Rights Not Rescue Trust Namibian leader Nikodemus Aoxamub, also known as Mama Africa, appealed to the authorities to act on the matter.
– sikela@nepc.com.na