Swiss tour guide stabbed at Omaruru lodge

TOUR guide Susanne Schafer, who was leading a group of 23 European tourists, was attacked and stabbed in her room at a lodge near Omaruru on Monday.

The attacker, who has still not been arrested, ran off with a handbag filled with euros, American dollars and Namibia dollars worth about N$2 950, a camera, cellphone, credit card and Schafer’s passport.According to the Erongo Police, only the handbag, credit card and passport were recovered.According to a source at the lodge, the incident took place during dinner, which begins at 19h00.Guests were treated to a game viewing at a waterhole near the restaurant, and Schafer returned to her room to fetch her camera.As she was leaving her room, the attacker struck, pushing her back into the room and stabbing her with a knife before stealing her handbag and other items.’We don’t think that the attacker wanted to kill her. It’s very probable that he was just trying to cut the strap off the handbag from her shoulder, but in the process stabbed her too,’ the source said yesterday.According to the source, Schafer and her tour group are from Switzerland.The attacker fled, and apparently no one knew of the incident until Schafer returned to the restaurant, her shirt covered in blood.The lodge’s chef immediately called one of the managers, who had allegedly just left. The Police and a doctor were called too.Schafer was taken to hospital where she was treated for the shoulder wound and stayed there overnight.’The next morning she was back and quite fine. The tour did not stop. The company left for the north soon after,’ the source said.The Police are still looking for the suspect.

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