Girls jailed for petty offence San teens guilty of stealing food

TWO San girls, aged 15 and 17, are sitting behind bars at Grootfontein after they were sentenced to six months’ imprisonment without the option of a fine for housebreaking and theft.

They are being held in the Grootfontein Police holding cells. The two girls, both first-time offenders, were sent to jail on December 1 last year after they were found guilty of breaking into the house of a teacher at Tsumkwe.The girls broke into the house through a window, cooked food inside the house and were found while still sitting there eating the meal.According to sources at Tsumkwe, the two were hungry and decided to go into the house without seeking the owners’ permission.”They did not realise that it was housebreaking and now they must sit for six months.One of them had to be withdrawn from school,” according to one source.The value of the food they stole is not known.The source said community service would have been better than the girls sitting in jail for six months.Public Prosecutor Marius Adams confirmed that Magistrate Andre le Roux did not give the two girls the option of a fine, but said this was done after input from the local social worker and all the facts had been double-checked.The social worker, who did not want to be named, confirmed that she gave a pre-sentence report after visiting the home of the two girls, but added that she did not recommend imprisonment.”We don’t recommend that,” she said.Magistrate le Roux said the information he received was that only one of the girls was in school and had failed her exams last year.He told The Namibian that the girls had repeatedly failed to turn up for the court case and had to be rearrested before their conviction and sentencing.”Six months is actually a light sentence.Housebreaking is a serious crime.It continues unabated in the Tsumkwe area and they knew that what they did was wrong and pleaded guilty to the charge,” he said.Le Roux said he explained to the girls that they could appeal against the sentence, but he was not sure whether the case had been sent to the High Court for review.The girls had no legal representation at the trial.Concerned people have appealed to legal institutions to help the girls appeal against the sentence, saying not even those who steal millions go to jail for such a long time.”They really should have looked at the cultural background of the girls.Now they have destroyed their future,” one Tsumkwe resident charged.Another person observed that the “law is only for the rich”.The two girls, both first-time offenders, were sent to jail on December 1 last year after they were found guilty of breaking into the house of a teacher at Tsumkwe.The girls broke into the house through a window, cooked food inside the house and were found while still sitting there eating the meal.According to sources at Tsumkwe, the two were hungry and decided to go into the house without seeking the owners’ permission.”They did not realise that it was housebreaking and now they must sit for six months.One of them had to be withdrawn from school,” according to one source.The value of the food they stole is not known.The source said community service would have been better than the girls sitting in jail for six months.Public Prosecutor Marius Adams confirmed that Magistrate Andre le Roux did not give the two girls the option of a fine, but said this was done after input from the local social worker and all the facts had been double-checked.The social worker, who did not want to be named, confirmed that she gave a pre-sentence report after visiting the home of the two girls, but added that she did not recommend imprisonment. “We don’t recommend that,” she said.Magistrate le Roux said the information he received was that only one of the girls was in school and had failed her exams last year.He told The Namibian that the girls had repeatedly failed to turn up for the court case and had to be rearrested before their conviction and sentencing.”Six months is actually a light sentence.Housebreaking is a serious crime.It continues unabated in the Tsumkwe area and they knew that what they did was wrong and pleaded guilty to the charge,” he said.Le Roux said he explained to the girls that they could appeal against the sentence, but he was not sure whether the case had been sent to the High Court for review.The girls had no legal representation at the trial.Concerned people have appealed to legal institutions to help the girls appeal against the sentence, saying not even those who steal millions go to jail for such a long time.”They really should have looked at the cultural background of the girls.Now they have destroyed their future,” one Tsumkwe resident charged.Another person observed that the “law is only for the rich”.