2008-06-27Staff Report 2 "By Charles Tjatindi WALVIS BAY The Mayor of Walvis Bay, Uilika Nambahu, has called on residents of the town to abstain from criminal activities, noting that such actions have long-term detrimental effects to the town's development. Nambahu, who was speaking at an ordinary council meeting on Tuesday, said a rise in crime will place the town in a bad light and discourage prospective investors. Nambahu was referring to a recent spate of violence at the town involving the death of a veteran journalist and former newspaperman, Awie Brand, and an earlier incident in which a woman was stabbed to death, allegedly by her former boyfriend. According to police reports, Brand was allegedly ""hit with a stick on the forehead, and dragged to a storeroom where his body was found by the police"". Ephraim Kariko (22) was arrested in connection with the murder, and is remanded in custody following his initial appearance in the Walvis Bay Magistrate's Court. The Walvis Bay mayor appealed to the community of Walvis Bay to jealously guard the peace and tranquillity currently enjoyed in the country. She was full of praise for the Erongo Regional Police for apprehending in a short time the suspected perpetrators of both crimes. ""Our society is heavily indebted to all those members of our community who continue to render their utmost cooperation and for information that results in the placing in detention of all criminal elements,"" she said. Nambahu also praised the efforts of established neighbourhood watch groups at the town, to whom she attributed the decrease in crime relating to robbery, house-breaking and illicit narcotics deals. Walvis Bay has two neighbourhood watch groups - the Meersig Neighbourhood Watch, and the Narraville Neighbourhood Watch. The mayor used the opportunity to call on other suburbs in Walvis Bay to follow suit and establish similar crime prevention groups. Walvis Bay Central, Hermes and Kuisebmond are yet to establish such groups. Nambahu said the increase in the number of murdered women is a reminder that domestic violence is real and that it affects both women and men daily. ""It is not my wish to present a bleak future today on safety and security in our city. However, I do believe that a lot can still be done to deprive criminals of the opportunity to commit criminal acts,"" said Nambahu. " 2008-06-27Staff Report 2
