Placido Hilukilwa
NO one benefits from taking the law into their own hands. In fact, perpetrators of such acts inevitably land in serious trouble. This was said by the chairperson of the Ondonga Traditional Authority (OTA), Senior Traditional Councilor John Walenga, in an interview with Informanté following a recent incident in which a mob attacked an elderly resident of the Iikango-C village in the Ondonga tribal area in the Oshikoto Region.
The 67-year-old victim was accused—without proof—of habitually administering poison to her shebeen patrons. She was brutally assaulted, and her shebeen was burnt down.
“The OTA condemns the mob attack in the strongest terms,” said Walenga as he urged members of the community to stay away from such unruly behaviour.
According to him, incidents of mob justice are isolated, but the rate is increasing. He said that the victims of such attacks can find recourse either by opening a criminal case with the police or by registering the case with a community court for compensation.
“It cannot be both,” said Walenga, “because of the double jeopardy protection that prevents a person from being charged with the same offense twice.”
The victim of the latest mob attack has opened cases of arson and assault with intent to cause bodily harm, and eight people have been arrested and charged. Their case was postponed to November, and they were remanded in custody.
