WALVIS BAY – A woman who lives in a tent at the Otweya temporary campsite at Walvis Bay was miraculously saved by the cries of her three-week-old baby boy on Sunday after being attacked by two unknown masked men.
The 33-year-old mother, whose identity is being withheld for her own safety, was allegedly attacked by the men early Sunday morning at the campsite that houses 100 families that were left homeless by the devastating shack fires in July this year. The balaclava-wearing men allegedly knifed the woman, then tied her, tried to strangle her and put sand in her mouth, leaving her unconscious.

The suspects also placed her helpless baby in a bag, in an effort to suffocate the child. Luckily the hoodlums did not zip the bag close, and as a result the baby’s crying could be heard by neighbours which set off the alarm bells.
According to Olga Birisamus, another resident of Otweya, a female neighbour heard the baby crying from her tent and went to see if everything was okay with the new mother.

Birisamus said the woman called out to the victim to find out if she was okay since the baby was crying profusely.  But there was no response from the mother of the child. 
The woman then alerted a family member who happens to be a police officer, she said.
Birisamus, who also went see what was happening around that time, found people gathering outside and decided to go into the tent with others where they found the woman gagged and tied up.

“We found the baby still in the bag and the mother unconscious with a piece of cloth around her mouth,” Birisamus narrated, adding that she later accompanied the victim to the Walvis Bay state hospital where nurses managed to remove the sand from her mouth.  
She had since regained consciousness and was able to speak, said the witness.
Erongo regional crime investigations coordinator, Deputy Commissioner Erastus Iikuyu, confirmed the incident, saying the victim’s feet, hands and mouth were tied by the unknown suspects.

Iikuyu said the police are now investigating a case of attempted murder.
“Both baby and mother are okay but we are appealing to anyone who has any leads that can help us in tracing the suspects.  The safety or our women and children are being threatened and we can only bring the culprits to book if the community assists with valuable information about the suspects,” Iikuyu said yesterday.
He appealed to anyone with information regarding the incident to contact him at 0182464757 or Sergeant Hamukanda at 0817925454 or the nearest police station

Three more raped

Also in Erongo region, a 37-year-old woman was raped on Thursday evening at Arandis after she was dragged from her house by the suspect.

Iikuyu said the suspect who has been arrested allegedly went to the victim’s house, dragged her to his house where he had sex with her without her consent.
The suspect was expected to appear in court today in Swakopmund.
Also on Wednesday last week, a 17-year-old girl was raped  between Otjingwindi village and Ozongaka village in Daures constituency.
The suspect, according to the police,  broke into the victim’s house and dragged her into the bushes while threatening her with a knife and raped her.

Her grandmother who stays with her alerted a neighbour who in turn called the police.
Munee Kationdorozu (26) was arrested in connection with the rape and already on Friday appeared in the Omaruru Magistrate’s Court.  He was refused bail.

A case of rape is also being investigated at farm Tubises after a 14-year-old girl fell pregnant.
According to Iikuyu, the girl allegedly told her family about her ordeal when they noticed that she was pregnant. 
“The victim allegedly told her family that the suspect allegedly threatened her with a knife and raped her in April this year.
The suspect is known but not yet traced,” Iikuyu said.