ONGWEDIVA - A 55-year-old woman said she regrets accepting help from her 88-year-old ex-husband, who now stands accused of raping and killing her grandchild. 

The three-year-old girl was allegedly taken from the company of other children by an elderly witch doctor, Willem Gustav, who locked her inside his bedroom and raped her.

Other children allegedly heard her crying and when they peeped into Gustav’s bedroom, they noticed that he was on top of the toddler – raping her. The incident took place at Okahanya village in the Oshikoto region.

The woman claims that she moved from Gustav’s residence last year. The two were married traditionally. 

“Willem (Gustav) was my husband. I left his house last year in October. I thought he was trying to win me back when he offered that my children and I can draw water from his house,” she narrated.

She said they first fetched water from a community borehole in their village, but Gustav’s offer for help was too good to reject.

But she is now regretting not saying “no” to the offer. 

“My granddaughter could still be alive and not raped. I do not sleep well anymore. I am always thinking of her… she died in my hands,” she lamented.

Police said the toddler was struggling to walk back home after she left Gustav’s bedroom. Other children then related the whole ordeal to their grandmother who rushed her to the local clinic but it was already closed.

“I tried to massage her with warm water because she was complaining of pain on her neck and stomach. We did not sleep the whole night as she was very sick,” she further narrated.

She took the baby to the clinic the following morning but she was declared dead upon arrival.

Gustav, an alleged traditional healer, was denied bail last week when he made his first appearance in the Ondangwa Magistrate’s Court. He is facing charges of rape and murder.

His case was postponed to 3 April 2023 for further police investigations.

Gustav’s sons who spoke to New Era claim that their father is innocent and the criminal charges where pinned on him by their disgruntled stepmother. Festus Gustav and Shevanyenga Gustav demanded the court release their elderly father.

“Our father was not at home during the incident. He was at Ondangwa. They are accusing our father,” said Shevanyenga.

The deceased’s 28-year-old mother said she is broken by the death of her only child.

- fhamalwa@nepc.com.na