Law lets down Namibian Women

By Phyllis Kachere WINDHOEK  By Phyllis Kachere THE civilisation of any nation is gauged by how it treats its animals, Mahatma Gandhi once said. But for Namibia, her progress can be measured against how her women are treated. In 1990 at the country's independence, Nehemia Tjaporokota Tjiho hacked his wife Oscarline Zatjirua 26 times with a panga and later shot her. He told the court, she had apparently slept out of the family home and that had angered him. In 1997, 54-year-old Amanyanga beat his eight months pregnant wife Appolonia to death with an axe handle. He claimed another man had made her pregnant. In mitigation Amanyanga told the judge that all he meant to do was "beat her like all wives are beaten". He was sentenced to 12 years in jail. In 1999 German national Thomas Florin killed and cooked the remains of his Namibian wife Monika, presumably because she refused to go with him to his country of origin as he was facing imminent deportation. In 2003 schoolteacher Immanuel Kashala stabbed his girlfriend Mirjam Haindongo 35 times, resulting in her death. Why? He believed she had bewitched his manhood causing a decrease in his sexual urge. For killing her, Kashala got 21 years in jail. The above is a brief chronicle of some crimes of passion committed in Namibia since independence. Although police could not provide statistics on cases of men that kill their spouses or female partners, press reports suggest there is an increase in such cases. A study carried out by the Women and Law Committee at the University of Namibia revealed that 50 percent of Namibian women and children have been or will be victims of domestic violence. The study also revealed that most of the women who died at the hands of their spouses or partners had been previous recipients of repeated domestic violence from the same men. A psychologist who spoke to New Era on condition of anonymity attributed the spousal murders to the "violent culture the Namibian community is entrenched in". He said because it is generally acceptable for men in this country to regularly mete out corporal punishment to women, they end up killing the women, all in the name of disciplining them. In fact, said the psychologist, research conducted by the Legal Assistance Centre revealed that a Herero community leader believed that repeated infliction of violence on a woman cannot be used as grounds for divorce. "The woman should be subordinate to her husband. And regularly, the husband should administer corporal punishment. But sometimes the men go overboard," the psychologist explained the mindset of Namibian men. He said because it is acceptable to beat up women, it should not be surprising if they end up killing the women. "Because the man gets used to inflicting pain on the woman, that promotes the violence already inherent in this culture. The human mind can handle violent behaviour to a certain extent. After that it loses control. It is when one gets to this stage when they lose control and continue butchering, long after the victims have died," he said. In cases that have gone through the courts, most men have pleaded provocation from the women they have killed. "Tjiho pleaded that his wife had provoked him by sleeping out. Amanyanga said another man had made his wife pregnant, so he had to take action against her. This in itself shows how some view women," said the psychologist. To such men, women are like children that deserve a spanking or even death. He said the laws regarding domestic violence, the latter usually the foundation of spousal murders, should be changed in order to protect women. The Legal Assistance Centre (LAC) noted that where the laws apply to domestic violence perpetrators, they are inadequate while the police are ineffective. "Police are often unwilling to intervene where domestic violence is concerned partly because of a lack of acceptable legal remedies. When they eventually take action, the charge is usually simple assault," said a report released by the Southern Africa Research and Documentation Centre. But Peter Hanse with whom this reporter spoke had other views. "In most cases where men have killed their women, it is because they have invested so much both emotionally and financially that they cannot stomach any nonsense from the women," said Hanse. Hanse believed that if women stopped cheating on their men, there will not be cases of spousal murders as cheating is the "worst provocation any man can tolerate". Most women interviewed on the issue blamed men for selfishness and said it would be helpful for women if the police took them seriously when they report cases of domestic violence. "I have survived a lot of battering from my ex-husband. But every time I reported the abuses to the police, they would interrogate me like I had committed a crime. It's time that men take women seriously and see them as human beings," said Saara Kunene She said that such attitudes made women susceptible to abuse and sometimes even death. She said because of poverty that is prevalent amongst most women, they suffer domestic violence, which can progress to murdering silence as they fear to have their men, who in most cases are breadwinners, arrested. "Women are very tolerant to battering from their men. This is usually because they are the breadwinners, meaning if they are arrested they will lose out," said Kunene. Victor Tonchi said killing another human should not be tolerated under whatever circumstances. "As human beings there are always differences. We should be moral enough and do what is right. Whatever investment one has made in a woman should that be reason for their death?" quizzed Tonchi. But for as long as domestic violence is going to remain acceptable in Namibian society, said Tonchi, spousal murders will continue. New Era is also informed that some victims of domestic violence are known for withdrawing their cases on numerous occasions after reporting their being abused to the police. Some charge officers are said to be turning away these women as they argue that they waste the already stretched resources of the law enforcement agencies. These women are said not to be helping the fight against domestic violence and are actually weakening the legislative gains made in scaling down the scourge of violence. Back to Top