No Safety Route

“I STILL feel terrified by what happened.His image remains in my mind; he was so aggressive.

At first I thought fighting back and not letting my handbag go would be okay. And I did fight until the end.Only later on I asked myself, ‘what if he had a knife?’ I’m just grateful to God that I was not hurt in any way,” said Anne.Every day students walk to and from the University of Namibia (UNAM).Some come from Hochland Park, Pioneerspark or Academia.But, as years go by it seems that the students’ safety is no longer a guarantee.Some complain of having been attacked by robbers on their way to and from university.They have lost items such as handbags, jackets, shoes, cellphones etc.Last year things got so bad that a student almost died after being stabbed on his way home.”What terrifies me most is the fact that such things do not simply take place at night.During the cultural festival I was walking home around 16h00, when a guy coming from behind, attacked me and stole my cellphone,” said another victim of robbery.Meanwhile, most students believe that attacks often take place at the area between UNAM and Academia since it is an empty area with no houses but grass and trees.They say that robbers often run towards the nearby bush after stealing.On the other hand, students feel safer now that most of the trees are cut down.Many however are traumatised by what happened to them, and all they can do daily is wish and pray that they get home safely.Albelina GeorgeAnd I did fight until the end.Only later on I asked myself, ‘what if he had a knife?’ I’m just grateful to God that I was not hurt in any way,” said Anne.Every day students walk to and from the University of Namibia (UNAM).Some come from Hochland Park, Pioneerspark or Academia.But, as years go by it seems that the students’ safety is no longer a guarantee.Some complain of having been attacked by robbers on their way to and from university.They have lost items such as handbags, jackets, shoes, cellphones etc.Last year things got so bad that a student almost died after being stabbed on his way home.”What terrifies me most is the fact that such things do not simply take place at night.During the cultural festival I was walking home around 16h00, when a guy coming from behind, attacked me and stole my cellphone,” said another victim of robbery.Meanwhile, most students believe that attacks often take place at the area between UNAM and Academia since it is an empty area with no houses but grass and trees.They say that robbers often run towards the nearby bush after stealing.On the other hand, students feel safer now that most of the trees are cut down. Many however are traumatised by what happened to them, and all they can do daily is wish and pray that they get home safely.Albelina George