No fewer than 400 people, mostly young Namibian women have taken to the streets to protest against sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) & femicide.
The protests began after authorities discovered the body of 22-year-old Shannon “Darlikie” Wasserfall who was a victim of SGBV.
TRTWorld reports that police and special forces violently responded to the protests which had entered its third day by using rubber bullets, batons, and tear gas.
Police also violently detained a group of protesters known as the Zoo Park 25.
The 25 activists who were arrested at a public park known as Zoo Park in Windhoek have been reportedly released and are scheduled to appear in court on Monday.
Reacting to the protests which also went digital with hashtags #ShutItAllDown and #ShutItAllDownNamibia, Namibian Prime Minister, Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila issued a statement that: “The reported incidents of altercations between the police and protesters which resulted in arrests are highly regretted. Our police force is here to protect and serve the Namibian people and to maintain law and order, and they are committed to carrying out their mandate in a professional manner.”
The prime minister’s statement was in sharp contrast to reports from the Native magazine which claimed that “the Namibian police have been accused of negligence and nonchalance when it comes to the investigation of violent crime committed against women.”
Meanwhile, protesters have shared details of of the violence they experienced to the press while a few others took to microblogging platform Twitter to recount their ordeal.
https://twitter.com/F_Nangula/status/1315260237532868608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1315260237532868608%7Ctwgr%5Eshare_3&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.essence.com%2Ffeature%2Fshut-it-all-down-shannon-wasserfall-namibia%2F
https://twitter.com/anne_hambuda/status/1314687531527667712?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1314687531527667712%7Ctwgr%5Eshare_3&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.essence.com%2Ffeature%2Fshut-it-all-down-shannon-wasserfall-namibia%2F
Protester Maria Amupolo who held a banner that read “We are tired” in Afrikaans, told AFP news that: “This is a protest against violence against women and here we have women being beaten as they are being arrested,” she lamented. “I saw it with my own two eyes, they hit that one girl and slapped her as they threw her into the van.”
The protests were sparked after the body of 22-year-old Shannon Wasserfall was discovered by authorities in the city of Narraville, near Walvis Bay, in Namibia. The Windhoek Observer reports that the mother of two was last seen in April when she dropped her 2-year-old son at a friend’s home before “going to meet someone.”
Wasserfall’s family said her boyfriend reported her missing on the last day she was seen without informing her family.
ANOTHER VICTIM . . . Shannon Wasserfall. Her name joins a long list of Namibian women who have gone missing, been raped or murdered. pic.twitter.com/xPrBLvIrv8
— The Namibian (@TheNamibian) October 8, 2020
Wasserfall’s body was discovered months later at a shallow grave on October 6. when her father, received two anonymous text messages from different phone numbers claiming to reveal the location of his daughter’s body. He immediately shared the texts with investigators on Wasserfall’s case.
“The two messages made our worst nightmare a reality,” Mateus told New Era Live. “I knew our daughter was missing but we expected her to come back alive. What worried me about her disappearance is the fact that she always stayed in contact no matter what. However, for the last months, it was pure silence and that worried us. So, we have mixed emotions as we wanted her back but not like this.”
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Mateus, who described his daughter as family-oriented and loving and family-oriented, said the heartbreaking discovery of Wasserfall’s body was his family’s biggest fear.
“Our hearts are in pain as nobody deserved what happened to her,” Mateus said. “We also know that she knew her killer(s) and it is only a matter of time before the truth will reveal itself.”
The Namibian reports that Shannon’s mother, Poppie Wasserfall, begged for the deceased’s safe return during a vigil held for her before the body was discovered.
“If I had done something to anybody, please forgive me,” the distraught mother said. “Take me instead and give my baby back. I am willing to give my life. I beg you to give my daughter back. Darlikie [Shannon], if you are alive, come home.
“Mommy needs you,” she continued. “Your son is asking where you are. He needs you. Give us a sign. I am putting everything into the hand of the Lord. I will accept her in any way that I get her back. I need peace. I keep wondering if she is warm, if she ate.”
Shannon’s uncle, Dennis Wasserfall has also been in the forefront seeking justice for his niece. He told New Era Live that: “The puzzling leads that were given to derail her search. All those leads were somehow linked to the people that hold the key in solving her murder.”
Meanwhile, 28-year-old Azaan Madisia has been charged with obstruction of court of law and murder in connection with the disappearance of Shannon Wasserfall.
It is worthwhile to note that Namibian police have received no fewer than 107,403 reports of gender-based violence between 2014 and July 2018.
According to Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, 1,604 rape cases were reported in Namibia between 2014 and July 2018, a development which averaged three rape cases a day in the nation of only 2.5 million people.
Chief inspector of the Windhoek, Namibia police’s Gender-based Violence Protection Unit, Hendrick Olivier told The Hub earlier this year that the department receives 200 and 300 reports of cases under the Domestic Violence Act each month.
Thus, it is not surprising that activists have – in a petition presented to the Namibian government – called on President Hage Geingob to declare a state of emergency over violence against women and rampant femicide.
“GBV cuts across all gender lines. However, we cannot ignore the glaring statistics that clearly show women and children are the most affected,” Neville Andre, the governor of the Erongo Region of Namibia, said. “It is stealing the innocence of our children, killing our women and shattering families across the country.”
The Native reports that several organizations are fighting against SGBV in Namibia including Slut Shame Movement, Outright Namibia and Me Too Namibia.
This!#ShutItAllDown #JusticeForNamibianWomen pic.twitter.com/dlzEx35xMJ
— Mills (@_sabali_) October 9, 2020
Prime Minister Kuugongelwa-Amadhila has assured that activists’ demands are being assessed, adding that a formal feedback will be offered after an Oct. 13 cabinet meeting, the Namibian reports.
“We assure the Namibian nation that we as their elected leaders feel their pain, hear their cries and understand the anxiety,” she said. “We are in solidarity with you, as you protest against this grave situation of violence that our mothers and sisters are subjected to in this country.”
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While calls for Justice continues for Shannon, her family are still shocked and grieving over the irreparable loss, wondering how they will explain the 22-year-old demise to her baby boy.
“Her parents, siblings and the whole family are battling to come to terms with her loss,” Dennis Wasserfall said. “It is really hard for the family as we had so many dreams for Shannon that are lost. She wasn’t supposed to leave this world in such a way.”
