Placido Hilukilwa
ELDERLY Gideon Kalumbu and his equally elderly wife, Maria, residents of Onankulo village southwest of Ondangwa in the Oshana Region, are forever grateful for the prompt response of the villagers who rushed to their rescue when they were recently attacked by armed robbers.
“We have nothing to say but express gratitude to God Almighty, to the young man who sneaked out of the homestead to alert the villagers at the nearby shebeens, to the villagers who did not hesitate to come to our rescue, and to the police’s quick reaction,” said Gideon Kalumbu in an interview with Informante.
On the evening of 5 September, three armed men jumped over the perimeter wall and attacked people in the homestead, mostly demanding the key for the Toyota GD6 2.4 that was parked there.
Gideon Kalumbu, who is visually impaired, said that he was inside the main building when he heard a commotion in another part of the homestead.
“I heard the commotion but could not establish what was exactly going on,” he said.
Maria Kalumbu was the main target of the robbers. They inflicted so much pain on her that she eventually surrendered the vehicle key. She sustained a serious injury to her right arm, which is still bandaged.
The “boy” mentioned in the police report as the person who alerted people at the Ondikita shebeens turned out to be 30-year-old Hango Shityeni.
He said that he too was attacked by one of the robbers but managed to push him away. “While he stumbled, I sneaked away and ran to the shebeens,” he said.
The shebeens are located about 300 meters away, and there are at least two fences to overcome, or else one has to follow a two-track road, practically doubling the distance.
Shityeni took the shortcut, simply jumping over the fences.
The villagers’ reaction was quick. They caught the suspects in the act of reversing the vehicle out of the homestead.
The suspects fired a shot into the air to scare the public, but to no avail. They had to flee the scene, leaving the vehicle behind.
A wild chase by community members – later joined by the police – culminated in the arrest of all three suspects in Ondangwa.
“The villagers demonstrated unparalleled bravery. A shot in the air did not scare them. They went on to track the armed men in the dark, which is very risky. We are happy that all three were arrested. It is now up to the courts to fulfill their obligation,” said Maria Kalumbu.
