Supervision in Omusati baby’s death questioned

The children involved in an incident that led to the death of a one-year-old baby in the Omusati region this week were allegedly in the care of their mother and grandmother, a relative has revealed.

The incident involved two-year-old twins who allegedly filled the baby’s mouth, eyes and ears with sand before she died.

A relative of the children, whose name is known to The Namibian, has revealed that the children were in the care of the twins’ mother and grandmother, who allegedly left them alone to visit a shebeen.

The relative says he was in another region at the time the incident happened.

“The children were in the care of the twins’ mother and grandmother, but they left them alone at home. I was at Oshakati with my brother, fixing my car when we received a call around 19h00, informing the father what happened,” he says.

There is, however, still uncertainty about the exact cause of the baby’s death.

“I don’t know if the twins really killed the baby or if the child died a natural death. They are very small children,” he says.

The baby’s mother allegedly works at Lüderitz in the ||Kharas region, and the baby has been in the care of her father.

The incident took place at Okathitukambanda, a village in the Ogongo constituency, on Monday.

Omusati regional police commander commissioner Ismael Basson has confirmed that the baby was in the company of four other children, including the twins, at the time of the incident.

Basson says the incident happened when the children were left at home under minimal supervision.

He says no arrest has been made, as the alleged suspects are too young to be held criminally accountable.

Omusati deputy commissioner Zachariah Amakali says the incident was reported to the police by neighbours.

He says the police are, however, unaware of whose care the children were left in.

He says a five-year-old child ran to the neighbours when the baby died.

“The five-year-old ran to the neighbour’s house and informed a 13-year-old of the incident. They then reported it to us. The uncle then came to identify the deceased,” he says.

He says the police are investigating to determine the uncertainty around the incident.

In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.