WINDHOEK – Investigations into the case of Gewen Gawanab, accused of raping, genitally defiling and mutilating a 10-year-old girl last year, are finally complete.
Making an appearance before Magistrate Johannes Shuuveni in the Katutura Magistrate’s Court yesterday for his most recent cases of rape, Gawanab was informed that investigations into his latest two cases of rape are complete.
Gawanab’s two cases of rape date from 2017 and 2018.
According to state prosecutor Michael Munika, Gawanab’s docket will be summarised and forwarded to the prosecutor general for a decision.
During Gawanab’s appearance on another case of rape in the Windhoek Regional Court in July, the prosecutor general instructed the investigating officer to compile all the cases that Gawanab is facing in order for him to be prosecuted in the High Court.
The accused, who is alleged to be a predator of minor children, currently has 10 cases of rape against him on the court roll. According to court records, one case was temporarily withdrawn because of the repeated absenteeism of the complainant. Another one was provisionally withdrawn due to incomplete police investigations.
He made headlines last year when he was arrested for raping a 10-year-old girl on October 26, 2018, in Havana, Windhoek.
According to police reports at the time, Gawanab cut the 10-year-old girl’s genitals before he violently defiled her along the Daan Viljoen road where the children were walking towards farm Satan Logh. It is alleged that after committing the gruesome act, he fled into the mountains.
Gawanab, an alleged serial rapist, was on bail of N$1 500 in another criminal case when he committed the alleged offence. He had been released from custody in connection with a rape that also happened in Havana in 2017 three months prior.
Gawanab was arrested in September 2015 for raping his niece who was six years old at the time, in Havana. The case was transferred to the Regional Court. The accused was out on bail for this case as well.
Gawanab is expected to make an appearance in court for the prosecutor general’s decision on December 17.
Gawanab is currently being detained at the Windhoek central prison.