The Rise And Rise Of Youth Violence in Namibia

THE violent and senseless death of 17-year-old Duarte Hendrickse at the hands of another pupil in Windhoek on Sunday night has sent shockwaves through his community, and beyond.

It has propelled already simmering questions about the state of Namibia’s youth onto the front burner. Namibia has not had a Columbine or Penn State University massacre, but the cruel and unforgiving tentacles of violence emerging from our post-Independence generation are reaching out and cutting to the heart of our society.Violence amongst our youth is sparking discussions in homes, on street corners and at schools over an emerging trend in especially, although not confined to, Katutura and Khomasdal: mobs of violent juveniles organising themselves against one another.It raises questions about our values and our morals.Its reach is much wider than its immediate victims.It has planted fear in the hearts of many communities.A DEADLY TRAIL Hendrickse, described as a quiet young man by his school principal and peers, died in hospital a day after being stabbed in the head with a screwdriver.The 15-year-old suspect, still a primary school pupil, will undergo screening at the juvenile court in Katutura today.While this young man’s murder has provoked shock and been met with widespread condemnation, as time goes by his family’s pain is likely to be forgotten.As happened in Dorado Park barely a few weeks ago.In that case, seven young men, among them three minors, allegedly beat to death a father of two.This story will run its course in the media, occasionally returning as a report on a postponed court case; eventually this tragedy too will fade until it is as dead and buried as the victim.Except for family and friends.While these two cases highlight increasing juvenile delinquency, dealing out blame may prove tricky.But passing off these two incidents as isolated may be even more dangerous.The spate of violence did not start with these two incidents.In May, a 20-year-old Windhoek resident was stabbed to death in similar fashion at club Remix in Khomasdal.According to sources at the scene, a mere shove inside the club earlier that night led to the gang fight that ended the life of Lesley Waters.And the seventh grader now awaiting trial for Hendrickse’s murder saw his older brother arrested on the same charge less than a month earlier – following a fatal stabbing in front of Crow’s Inn, also in Khomasdal.GANG INFESTATION These latest bouts of youth violence seem to be linked to the emergence of a type of gang culture, built around gangs sporting names such as Da Crew (DC) Unit, D Unit, Terror Squad and Outlaws.These names borrow from the popularity and pervasiveness of American rap music.Why young Namibians are gravitating to gangs also poses questions in itself.Does it have to do with identity, wanting to be “in”, a feeling of marginalisation or alienation, a feeling of insecurity? These gangs and possibly others, comprised almost exclusively of high-school boys, have mushroomed in Windhoek since last year, and a searing wave of violence seems to have been unleashed.What we are seeing are violent manifestations of a subculture that runs deeper than most of us imagine.According to young people in these ‘gang-infested’ communities, barely a weekend passes without at least one physical altercation between opposing gangs.Threats and insults are exchanged publicly in recently popularised cellphone chat rooms by people claiming to be members of these groups.In personal conversation with a group of youngsters, it emerged that a number are acquainted with ‘The Anarchist Cookbook’.Not only that, they are articulate when reeling off details of its contents.However, until names came up during discussions about the Hendrickse murder, these youthful mobs were merely labelled as attention-seeking hooligans.Whether these groups had anything to do with any of these brutal stabbings remains speculation, but the fact that violence seems to be becoming a teenage pastime should raise serious questions about the wellbeing of our youth.It is worth asking where the National Youth Council and the host of other bodies who claim to represent the interests of the youth are.No one expects them to have all the answers, but they have taken on the mantle of nurturing the “nation’s greatest assets”.They need to at least speak out on the issue.More than that, they need to be proactive.VICE AND VALUES Today we see how poverty, unemployment and poor schooling are having a degenerative effect on our youth.However, the issue is much broader than rightly demanding a Government response.We also have to consider family values and the quality of relationships between parents and children.At a press conference on the death of Hendrickse this week, the Namibia National Teachers’ Union (Nantu) urged parents to start playing a more active role in their children’s upbringing and development.Nantu also requested that parents take a stricter approach to disciplining their children from early on.Whether this will help or not is an open question.The union warned that unless something is done, youth violence could spiral to the type of levels seen in South Africa, where children have to be searched for weapons before they are allowed to enter their schools.Further afield, weapons searches have long been standard at many inner-city schools in the US.Teenagers today face many temptations.Alcohol and drugs, and by extension violence, permeate youth culture.Add to this peer pressure.And don’t dismiss the desire to be ‘the man’.Teenagers explore and who knows where they go and what they do when they leave the house.As a society, we are compelled to ask whether there are any recreation places left in the country where young people don’t have to fight the temptation of alcohol and drugs; places where they can go and just be young people.We are also compelled to ask what values we as communities, a society, and a nation propagate.Greater commitment all round is necessary if we are to stem this violent tide dragging down our youth.Yet again we are called upon to snap out of the habit of only paying attention to an issue when it becomes a crisis too overwhelming to fix, or the headline of the day.Are we up to it? * Denver Isaacs is a journalist at The Namibian.Namibia has not had a Columbine or Penn State University massacre, but the cruel and unforgiving tentacles of violence emerging from our post-Independence generation are reaching out and cutting to the heart of our society.Violence amongst our youth is sparking discussions in homes, on street corners and at schools over an emerging trend in especially, although not confined to, Katutura and Khomasdal: mobs of violent juveniles organising themselves against one another.It raises questions about our values and our morals.Its reach is much wider than its immediate victims.It has planted fear in the hearts of many communities.A DEADLY TRAIL Hendrickse, described as a quiet young man by his school principal and peers, died in hospital a day after being stabbed in the head with a screwdriver.The 15-year-old suspect, still a primary school pupil, will undergo screening at the juvenile court in Katutura today.While this young man’s murder has provoked shock and been met with widespread condemnation, as time goes by his family’s pain is likely to be forgotten.As happened in Dorado Park barely a few weeks ago.In that case, seven young men, among them three minors, allegedly beat to death a father of two.This story will run its course in the media, occasionally returning as a report on a postponed court case; eventually this tragedy too will fade until it is as dead and buried as the victim.Except for family and friends.While these two cases highlight increasing juvenile delinquency, dealing out blame may prove tricky.But passing off these two incidents as isolated may be even more dangerous.The spate of violence did not start with these two incidents.In May, a 20-year-old Windhoek resident was stabbed to death in similar fashion at club Remix in Khomasdal.According to sources at the scene, a mere shove inside the club earlier that night led to the gang fight that ended the life of Lesley Waters.And the seventh grader now awaiting trial for Hendrickse’s murder saw his older brother arrested on the same charge less than a month earlier – following a fatal stabbing in front of Crow’s Inn, also in Khomasdal.GANG INFESTATION These latest bouts of youth violence seem to be linked to the emergence of a type of gang culture, built around gangs sporting names such as Da Crew (DC) Unit, D Unit, Terror Squad and Outlaws.These names borrow from the popularity and pervasiveness of American rap music.Why young Namibians are gravitating to gangs also poses questions in itself.Does it have to do with identity, wanting to be “in”, a feeling of marginalisation or alienation, a feeling of insecurity? These gangs and possibly others, comprised almost exclusively of high-school boys, have mushroomed in Windhoek since last year, and a searing wave of violence seems to have been unleashed.What we are seeing are violent manifestations of a subculture that runs deeper than most of us imagine.According to young people in these ‘gang-infested’ communities, barely a weekend passes without at least one physical altercation between opposing gangs.Threats and insults are exchanged publicly in recently popularised cellphone chat rooms by people claiming to be members of these groups.In personal conversation with a group of youngsters, it emerged that a number are acquainted with ‘The Anarchist Cookbook’.Not only that, they are articulate when reeling off details of its contents.However, until names came up during discussions about the Hendrickse murder, these youthful mobs were merely labelled as attention-seeking hooligans.Whether these groups had anything to do with any of these brutal stabbings remains speculation, but the fact that violence seems to be becoming a teenage pastime should raise serious questions about the wellbeing of our youth. It is worth asking where the National Youth Council and the host of other bodies who claim to represent the interests of the youth are.No one expects them to have all the answers, but they have taken on the mantle of nurturing the “nation’s greatest assets”.They need to at least speak out on the issue.More than that, they need to be proactive.VICE AND VALUES Today we see how poverty, unemployment and poor schooling are having a degenerative effect on our youth.However, the issue is much broader than rightly demanding a Government response.We also have to consider family values and the quality of relationships between parents and children.At a press conference on the death of Hendrickse this week, the Namibia National Teachers’ Union (Nantu) urged parents to start playing a more active role in their children’s upbringing and development.Nantu also requested that parents take a stricter approach to disciplining their children from early on.Whether this will help or not is an open question.The union warned that unless something is done, youth violence could spiral to the type of levels seen in South Africa, where children have to be searched for weapons before they are allowed to enter their schools.Further afield, weapons searches have long been standard at many inner-city schools in the US.Teenagers today face many temptations.Alcohol and drugs, and by extension violence, permeate youth culture.Add to this peer pressure.And don’t dismiss the desire to be ‘the man’.Teenagers explore and who knows where they go and what they do when they leave the house.As a society, we are compelled to ask whether there are any recreation places left in the country where young people don’t have to fight the temptation of alcohol and drugs; places where they can go and just be young people.We are also compelled to ask what values we as communities, a society, and a nation propagate.Greater commitment all round is necessary if we are to stem this violent tide dragging down our youth.Yet again we are called upon to snap out of the habit of only paying attention to an issue when it becomes a crisis too overwhelming to fix, or the headline of the day.Are we up to it? * Denver Isaacs is a journalist at The Namibian.