Sisters survive taxi terror in Windhoek

Two sisters were allegedly threatened with rape and death during a taxi robbery in Windhoek last week.

According to one of the victims, Kamary Mupupa, the sisters boarded a taxi that posed as an online taxi service while they were waiting for the one they had booked.

“The passenger sitting in front told the driver he should be dropped off in Windhoek North before us,” she says.

“The driver kept asking him for directions, then he suddenly stopped the car. The passenger, who was wearing a black jacket and hat, jumped to the back seat and told us not to shout,” Mupupa says.

She adds that the man pulled out a kitchen knife and demanded their belongings, including phones, wigs and shopping bags.

“He said, ‘bring everything or I will stab and end both your lives’,” she recalls.

Mupupa says the robbers beat her and her sister when they told them they had no money.
The taxi reportedly drove around Windhoek North and Rhino Park for nearly an hour before the sisters were released.

Meanwhile, Rozita van de Steeg from Okahandja, the mother of another victim, says she is heartbroken that there has been no police feedback since her son, Emidrio van de Steeg (20), was robbed in a similar taxi incident last month.

Emidrio says the incident happened on 8 September, when robbers took his phone and N$3 000 in cash he was on his way to deposit.

“When I asked the driver where he was taking me, the passenger sitting behind me pulled out a knife and told me to get out of the taxi and leave my bag,” he says.

Victims have described the vehicle involved in the robberies as either blue or grey in colour.

Windhoek City Police Service spokesperson superintendent Marcelline Murapo has confirmed that there has been a surge in taxi robbery complaints, with one arrest made on Tuesday evening.

Murapo urges commuters to verify taxis using a verification app to ensure they are registered and legitimate.

When contacted for comment, the Namibian Police Force did not respond.

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