SEVERAL speakers at a public memorial for the two slain heads of the Namibian Institute for Mining and Technology (Nimt) denounced their murders as hateful, cowardly, heinous and brutal on Tuesday – even referring to it as an “assassination”.
Nimt executive director Eckart Mueller and his deputy, Heimo Hellwig, were gunned down in front of their office at Arandis on 15 April when they arrived for work at about 06:00.
About 200 people attended the memorial service at Swakopmund’s multi-purpose centre in Mondesa.
The event was directed by former minister and politician Anton von Wietersheim. Mueller’s children, several executives in the mining and education sector, as well as Germany’s ambassador to Namibia, Christian-Matthias Schlaga, paid tribute to the slain men.
Mueller especially was remembered for his role as a ‘father’ of many staff and students who did not have fathers. He was also lauded for his contribution to education and vocational training in Namibia, and his role in German and Namibian cultural and development cooperation and relations.
Nimt’s interim manager, Ralph Bussel, said the two men fought for quality, discipline and high standards in the lives of students and staff and that they fought for it until the day they died.
“They died in their work and saw the hateful culprit or culprits before they we gunned down in hate. God will ensure the culprits are brought to book,” said Bussel.
Von Wietersheim, who called the murder a “heinous assassination”, said there were still many questions about the motive for the killings.
He said it came in a time of decline in moral and ethical values and a strong message had to go out that there was no justification for one human being to take the life of another.
Mueller’s children praised him as a good father and hard-working man who will be missed.
“He also believed in the good of people and went out of his way to help. He believed a healthy and educated youth was the backbone of a successful and peaceful nation. He was a father of many who did not have a father. Many called him their ‘pappa’, and now they were cowardly gunned down,” said Richard Mueller, one of his sons.
Hilifa Mbako of the Chamber of Mines of Namibia said “we are all struggling to come to terms with this immense loss and the way this had happened”, adding that Mueller helped people get a foot in life and have passion.
Her also vowed the mining industry would not allow Nimt to collapse, but would continue to support it to ensure “it remains top quality and keep this legacy as he [Mueller] would have wanted”.
Tim Parkhouse of the Namibian Employers’ Federation said if Namibia had more people like Eckhart Mueller, the country would have been “far better off it right now”.
Schlaga said Mueller was a friend and valued partner of Germany and the “heinous news” of his and Hellwig’s murder in “such a brutal manner” was shocking.
“We are appalled and shocked, and have pain of a loss of a friend and partner,” he said.
By Thursday the police had still not arrested anyone in connection with the murders.
