PG calls on parents to report children involved in crime

Prosecutor general Martha Imalwa calls on parents and guardians to report their children who are involved in criminal activities, warning that Namibia’s peace and security depend on collective action against crime.

Imalwa says some parents knowingly benefit from the criminal activities of their children and fail to report them to the authorities.

“Some parents are benefiting from crimes. Your child kills a person or steals goods from someone, but you, as a parent, enjoy those goods as if your child worked to get them,” she says.

She said this on Sunday during a visit to the village homestead of the late prosecutor Justine Shiweda.

Shiweda was shot and attacked by a gang at Ondangwa on 17 October last year and succumbed to her injuries on Saturday.

Shiweda was allegedly attacked after refusing to accept a bribe and granting bail to former police officer and alleged criminal gang leader Abner Mateus.

Imalwa described the attack as part of organised criminal activity and urged communities to cooperate with law enforcement.

“We are dealing with a syndicate. Please report your child to the police when they are involved in criminal activities. Namibia will only be peaceful if there is no crime,” she said.

She warned that failure to act could have severe consequences for the country.

“If we don’t report, the country will be taken over by drug cartels. Look at Mexico, if we are not careful, our country will be taken over by drug cartels,” Imalwa cautioned.

The prosecutor general also encouraged police officers and prosecutors to work closely together and intensify their efforts.

She noted that there is a public perception that crime control rests solely on the shoulders of senior officials.

“It appears that some people believe it is (Joseph) Shikongo or Imalwa’s responsibility,” she said.

Imalwa further criticised weak investigations that result in suspects being released shortly after arrest.

“Sometimes a suspect is arrested today and tomorrow they are out on bail. The police must have thorough investigations to ensure suspects are kept in custody,” she said.

She stressed that crime affects everyone, including those within the justice system. “We complain about our houses being broken into. Everyone is a target, magistrates and prosecutors,” Imalwa said.

Speaking at the opening of the 2026 legal year at the Supreme Court in Windhoek last week, president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah said the country must confront threats that undermine the effective functioning of the judicial system.

The president said the safety and security of judges, magistrates, prosecutors and legal practitioners had become a growing concern in recent times.

“No officer of the court should be required to discharge their duties under fear, intimidation or threat,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said.

She emphasised that where dissatisfaction arises with judicial decisions, the justice system provides lawful avenues for appeal and review.

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