Staff Reporter
WHEN the house of then Oshakati magistrate Thomas Kanime was petrol-bombed in 2007, it was viewed as an isolated case and there were no significant public protestations and widespread condemnations.
Three petrol bombs were thrown at the house, shattering windows and starting fires at the front door and in the children’s room.
The incident was, in reality, one of the first attempts to coerce a judicial officer into submission.
Recent incidents include:
– State Prosecutor Justine Shiweda, who was seriously injured in an attack in October last year. She died on 7 February.
– Onelago village headman Sam Nepando was shot and killed, while Iikokola village headman and the Executive Director of the National Planning Commission, I-Ben Nashandi, was seriously injured while they were attempting to address a dispute over a piece of land last month.
The latest case involved a state prosecutor at Grootfontein who was allegedly warned by an anonymous person to step down or possibly face a violent attack. The first attempts to intimidate the judicial officer occurred two years ago, when all four of Erastus’s car tyres were allegedly slashed.
Picture for illustrative purposes only. Photo: Contributed
