Africa-Press – Namibia. Minister of education, innovation, youth, sport, arts and culture Sanet Steenkamp says to ensure child safety in schools, all secondary schools are directed to participate in a march against violence towards children on 29 April.
She said this in a statement released on Monday.
The statement says pupils who are not participating in the march must engage in internal school-based activities on raising awareness about violence against children.
Steenkamp accompanied president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah on her visit to Okahandja on Sunday, along with her deputy minister of education Dino Ballotti, and said the ministry sent a senior management team to KW Von Marees Combined School.
This after the deaths of five-year-old Ingrid Maasdorp, who was allegedly raped and murdered on 20 March, six-year-old Roswinds Fabianu, who was found dead behind the Vredersdal cemetery weeks after being reported missing, and 15-year-old Beyoncé Kharuxas.
According to Steenkamp, in the meeting, the involved stakeholders came up with guidelines and suggestions on issues they think should be dealt with at schools.
“They looked deeply into, first and foremost, how they were sharing and debriefing as to how they feel and how this trauma affects them, their safety and their security,” she said.
She stated that they discussed the national safe schools framework, a guideline for all teachers regarding issues around violence, sexual violence, bullying, suicide, and socioeconomic issues.
“They also discussed and we’ve released schools nationwide, but specifically in Oceania at a given point on the 29th of April, where we will have a march, a peaceful protest, and where the deputy ninister of education will receive a petition from the community,” Steenkamp said.
The peaceful protest set to take place on 29 April will focus on school safety, with the aim of bringing attention to key issues around children, the community and how we should be standing together.
The minister urged community members to not harbor the culprits in their houses.
“These people have lost their children. There was one auntie at the house of Beyoncé who told me ‘We are burying the children, who should be burying us. Who will be burying us, minister?’” she said.
Otjozondjupa police commander Phillip Haiidengwa on Monday confirmed to Desert FM that the police have apprehended suspects involved in the recent killings of three young girls at Okahandja.
According to Haidengwa, the cases of the two school kids are almost similar because of the nature of the crime.
“It’s still too premature. We don’t really want to go too much into details to give people false hopes. However, as I’ve said, we are really trying,” Haidengwa said.
Haidengwa added that for now, members of the public have pledged their commitment to assisting the police in finding the perpetrators.
He stated that there is a N$50 000 reward that will be given to any person who comes forward with information.
Haidengwa went on to say that the police are trying to make sure they get to the bottom of the case.
The police have sanctioned five foreign detectives who are busy doing the investigations pertaining to the three specific cases.
In addition to the five detectives, the police have deployed extra members from the Special Reserve Force.
Haidengwa said they are patrolling to make sure nothing of that nature happens again.
According to the commander, they have appealed to those trading alcohol to limit business hours to ensure people return to their houses as soon as they can.
Okahandja community activist Gareb Gaseb says the magnitude of the situation hanging over Okahandja puts pressure on the town council to postpone the planned tourism expo.
He adds that they will sit down with the police to decide whether it is safe enough to have the expo or postpone it until next year.
“But for now, we are happy as a community, as an activist and as a community leader that the mayor and the council at least listen to our plea because we have been pushing for this thing ever since the day, ever since two weeks ago. So, at least for now, we have this understanding between the town council and the community,” Gaseb says.
According to Gaseb, damage has been inflicted because of the expo and, currently, the community does not trust the council.
He says activists are currently engaging the town council so they can try to fix the damaged relationship between the community and the town council.
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