Windhoek
The lifeless body of a pregnant woman – suspected of having been raped and murdered – was discovered in a riverbed in Katutura last weekend.
The deceased was identified as Rosina Bono /Gaoses, 26. Her body was found in the riverbed in Sukkot Street in Dolam on Friday morning.
A man from the same area as the deceased was picked up by police for questioning on Monday afternoon.
According to Nampol spokesperson Edwin Kanguatjivi, it appears the deceased was murdered elsewhere and the body was then dumped in the Dolam riverbed.
Kanguatjivi said the deceased’s body was found half clothed with her underwear halfway down. The police spokesman also said preliminary investigations found that the deceased was pregnant.
New Era learnt that the deceased left behind a year-old baby girl.
According to Khomas regional police crime investigation coordinator, Deputy Commissioner Sylvanus Nghishidimbwa, the police were trying to establish how the deceased was killed. “We are waiting for the post-mortem. She has body marks but not much is visible,” he told New Era.
The deceased grew up in the care of human rights activist Rosa Namises, at her care centre called the Dolam Children’s Home in Dolam, until the victim’s father took her away when she was in high school.
Namises, who was as of yesterday out of the country, only learnt about the death of /Gaoses on Monday afternoon. The heartbroken activist said she would cut her trip short and return today to the country.
“Violence is coming into our homes. As a person fighting violence, it is now right in front of me,” she said.
“Men have lost themselves and I declare war on men. We will fight it with weapons of resilience and critical consciousness.”
Namises described /Gaoses as one of her children who was soft and very fragile but strong in terms of resisting circumstances that were difficult.
“She was a child who needed support and love because of her background. She came here timid but six months later she would question why there was little sugar in the porridge when she ate,” said Namises with a chuckle.
According to Namises the deceased was brought to her home by social workers from the former Women and Child Protection Unit and then started attending school.
She stayed at the centre until she was in Grade 10 when her father came to get her. She recalled that the deceased wanted to become a teacher.