Yesterday, The Namibian received countless responses from the public on the brutal rape and murder of Magdalena Stoffels. Here, we capture the essence of what people are feeling and saying:
A Police officer wrote: ‘If I was the arresting officer of that suspect, I would have shot and killed him on the spot. Until when must these things go on? Give the Police their powers back. If I was at the Katutura hospital, I would have handed him over to the crowd.’
The Namibian Police Force released a press release, in which they extended their’heartfelt sympathy and consolation to the family of the late Magdalena Stoffels.’The Police stated that they would ‘neither condone nor accept acts of violence targeting our vulnerable section of our population … thus we will always make sure that culprits and evildoers are apprehended and brought to book to answer for their barbaric actions.’The Police also warned people to ‘avoid walking in dark areas, riverbeds and areas that are prone to harbour people with ill intentions.’ The Police instructed parents to forbid their children to walk in or cross riverbeds and should make alternative arrangements.Sister Namibia said: ‘The time for talking is over. This has gone too far and its time for drastic measures and actions.’ They said that ‘Magdalena’s murder is a reflection of our society and what is wrong with it.’Magano Neri, Director of Sister Namibia, said: ‘We should have been protesting all forms of violence long before it came to this … More people on all levels of society need to take this on, and bigger actions with higher impact need to be carried out.’The Swapo Party Youth League issued a statement in which they said: ‘We cannot allow the situation to continue in this way. How many times did our women cry out? How many times did they demonstrate? What is wrong with us Namibian men? Where are we heading this country?’ They called on the Ministry of Safety and Security to immediately install Police bicycle patrols and foot patrols in the cities and towns of Namibia.
