WALVIS BAY – Matheus Sheehama’s mysterious death has sparked a conversation on how society can better deal with alcohol and drug abuse, as well as troubled children, to curb crime.
Community activist Tangeni Mujoro is calling upon coastal residents to seek assistance sooner, especially those dealing with problematic children, and those caught up in alcohol and drug abuse.
Mujoro, who also deals with youth issues through her Blue Ink Project, was speaking at a candlelight vigil for Sheehama, who was found dead after being missing for a week in Walvis Bay.
His remains were discovered washed ashore at Independence Beach last Tuesday afternoon.
His girlfriend, Jessica Gaes (27) was last week charged with murder, kidnapping and defeating the course of justice.
She joined five other suspects: Michael Awaseb (24), believed to be an ex-boyfriend of Gaes; Jimmy Gaeb (24); Marvin Wapota (20); Romano Paulus (20); and Enrico Gomachab (20).
They are all in police custody after being denied bail.
“This is not just about our late and dear brother, dear son, and friend, but it is also about those six who are incarcerated. A young man has not just been killed here in Walvis Bay. There was another one killed in Gibeon. Our youngsters are killing each other.
Why are our youngsters turning into
killing machines? And the worst part of it is, they don’t regret it,” Mujoro said.
She questioned the type of children society is raising, and called on parents to instil discipline in them, adding that murder is unacceptable.
“What are we doing and allowing in our own homes that our children go out into the street and treat the next human being as if they have no right to exist? How is it fair when you allow your heart to become so jealous, that you allow that jealousy to fester in your heart as if the next human being has no right to have what they have, and to be who they were created to be? No one has the right to take the life of another human being. The breath of life is given by one only, and that is the Creator of heaven and earth,” she pleaded.
Mujoro also urged parents to stop supporting or siding with their sons when they are doing wrong things, as it leads them to believe their actions are right. She emphasised that every Namibian has a duty to preserve future generations.
“The decisions we are making in our offices – how are they preserving our future generations? Everything that we do from now on has to be questioned: is what I am doing preserving the next generation? If it is not, you are wasting your time. Step aside so that people who can preserve future generations can come in. Where will we end up if we are just killing each other like this on the streets? There are only three million people in this country, so if we all just get up and decide we want to kill someone because we don’t like them or because we believe a lie about them, where will we end up?” she asked.
Also speaking at the candlelight vigil, Walvis Bay Rural constituency councillor Tegako Donatus said children should be brought up safely and in a good manner from home, while leadership also needs to take place.
“We want to see community policing, particularly in hotspot areas. We want to see the police at the forefront of combating
crime. We cannot have a situation where a person has been killed, and there are rumours or even accusations pointing to certain people, and it takes the police 10 days to act,” Donatus said.
It is uncalled for and very painful for a mother or father to go to sleep, knowing their child is nowhere to be seen.
“However, we the parents are also housing criminals in our homes. At some point, parents know their child has committed a crime, and are trying to cover it up. We must stand and work together, and be responsible parents to our own children. Be responsible for the child that does not belong to you so that whenever you see a child roaming around the street, you can safely say, ‘Please, go back home.’ When it’s getting darker, call your children who stay in your house and ask them, ‘Where are you?’ Please come back home, and try to know who the friends of your children are. If you cannot see your child, call those friends and the parents of those children,” he appealed.
Businessman Nande Muatunga also expressed concern over the general decay of discipline among coastal children.
“It is heartbreaking that a young man with a bright future had to end this way. I don’t know him; I don’t know his family, but I have children too, so this is very painful as a parent. Let us stand together and address these social ills,” he said.