Maria David
A FEMALE resident of Eemwandi location in Oshakati is demanding justice after she was allegedly physically and verbally assaulted by an off-duty police officer last week Thursday evening.
Relating her ordeal, the 25-year-old Saara Imene, who is a student at the Valombola Vocational Training Centre at Ongwediva, said that when she returned from classes that afternoon, she found an unidentified girl at a nearby flat who, when asked, said she was waiting for her father. She was still there until late in the evening and accompanied Imene and three other ladies when they headed to the bushes to relieve themselves. She says the bushes were their only option due to a lack of ablution facilities in the area.
“Before reaching the bushes we had to walk down the road leading to the Oshakati Town Council’s engineering complex. That is where we were when a car pulled off and a female passenger asked me to come closer. She wanted to know what we were doing there, but as I started to explain, a man jumped out and attacked me,” she said.
The alleged attacker was later identified as police officer Indombo Jason who was off-duty at the time of the incident.
“He tried to strangle me, slapped me and insulted me without giving any reasons for his violent behavior,” said Imene. She said the attacker initially tried to strangle her and slapped her but later retrieved a sjambok from the car and used it to beat her.
The commotion near the road attracted the attention of location residents who immediately flocked to the scene, but the alleged attackers – who turned out to be the mother and stepfather of the unidentified girl – drove off, leaving the girl behind.
“I went to the police station to open a case that same night, but was told to go to the hospital for treatment first before opening a case. When I came back the next day my attacker was present at the station and he persuaded other officers that I was lying. As a result, no one wanted to help me register a criminal case,” she said.
Her persistence, however, eventually paid off and a criminal case was registered. The police is currently investigating the matter.
