Maria David
THE family of a 20-year-old mentally challenged man is expressing their frustration and disappointment with the police response following an incident at his former school near Ongwediva on Tuesday morning.
The suspect allegedly caused damage to the properties of four teachers at Niitembu Primary School in the Iikango village, within the Ongwediva Constituency.
The family contends that the time taken by law enforcement to respond exacerbated the situation and left them feeling unsupported.
Oshana police regional commander Commissioner Naftal Lungameni Sakaria confirmed the incident, saying it occurred around 10:40.
Reginald Lekenata Johannes (62) is deeply concerned about her 20-year-old grandson, whose mental health declined rapidly after being admitted to Oshakati State Hospital last month.
While Johannes does not know the specific diagnosis, she confirmed he received medication for his condition, which he refuses to take.
The distraught grandmother finds the situation puzzling, saying that in the 17 years her grandson has lived with her, he had shown no signs of mental illness until last month.
She suspects the onset may be linked to him reportedly smoking drugs.
Johannes recounted a disturbing incident on Sunday when her grandson woke up and asked about her dreams. When she said she had not dreamt, he told her he dreamt the devil instructed him to beat her.
“Initially, I dismissed his words. I then went to work in my field. He followed me, and I instructed him to return to the house, which he did,” she said.
She added that she was later informed that the suspect was at a neighbour’s house. When she went to bring him home, he refused, expressing fear that the family wanted to take him for injections at Oshakati Hospital, something he strongly disliked.
“Let’s go home, my child,” she pleaded. He replied, “No. I am not going home; there are ghosts at home. Then you want to take me for the injection.” Despite her assurances that she wouldn’t force him to get an injection, he refused to return home.
Johannes indicated that her grandson started physically assaulting family members, prompting her to seek help from the police. However, on many occasions, she was told they had no available vehicle.
He was eventually taken to the hospital after several attempts. However, Johannes said that they got reports that the suspect had escaped from the hospital and walked back to the village.
They contacted the police again to inform them of his escape but were once more told there was no vehicle available.
“If they had just arrived on time, he would not have done what he did,” she stressed.
However, Sakaria indicated that the police had rendered assistance to the family each time they needed help.
He stressed that families must ensure that people suffering from mental health challenges take their medication before they relapse and the situation gets out of hand.
“This is a very big concern. While we understand the frustration of the family, the truth is people are not taking responsibility. They wait until it’s bad. We assist where we can, but we also have limited resources,” he said.
He added that the police, on a daily basis, are running up and down with mental patients, saying more needs to be done by families to ensure greater care is given to patients before they relapse and make it a police problem.
Sakaria said the suspect reportedly damaged an Isuzu DMX, Isuzu BK200, Toyota VVTI, Toyota 4×4 Hilux, two aluminium windows, nine regular windows, and one exit gate, with total damages expected to be calculated at a later stage.
He said no damage was done to the school buildings, and no injuries were inflicted on any learners or teachers during the incident.
Sakaria added that no formal arrest has been made at this time due to the suspect’s condition.
