Teacher arrested as pupils stand up against rape
A 53-year-old male teacher at Jan Möhr Secondary School in Windhoek was on Saturday arrested on charges of rape, and sodomy and is scheduled to appear in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court today.
Police spokesperson Deputy Commissioner Kauna Shikwambi confirmed the developments yesterday. His arrest follows hot on the heels after learners at the school demonstrated on Friday against the alleged rape of a grade 11 male learner. Another larger demonstration is planned for the school today, with calls to dismiss the teacher. According to the Namibia National Students Organisation (Nanso), protester demands will include the deployment of social workers and gender-based violence investigation unit officials to the school.
The Popular Democratic Movement Youth League (PDMYL), in a statement on Saturday, said they will join the #ShutItAllDown protests at the Windhoek school.
“Incidents of sexual violence against our women and children have reached unacceptable levels in this country, and it is even more disturbing when schoolgoing children are the victims within the school environment, where they should be deemed to be safe with teachers as their guardians,” said the party youth wing national spokesperson Maximilliant Katjimune.
He said the youth wing is further angered by “the fact that this is not the first time that this particular teacher has been accused of sexual violence against learners at Jan Möhr Secondary School”.
He claimed the first incident was reported in 2013, but no action was taken against the teacher by the school or the ministry of education. “It is, therefore, clear that our basic education system is a facilitator of sexual violence against learners; that is why Jan Möhr Secondary School has to be shut down until appropriate action is taken against this teacher – that appropriate action being dismissal,” he said.
Katjimune called on all members of PDMYL to converge in numbers at the school today for the demonstration.
Meanwhile, President Hage Geingob, while addressing his cabinet ministers last week, raised serious concerns on the spate of gender-based violence incidences, which he said are causing great distress all over the country.
“There should be no place in our society for these deplorable incidences to take place,” Geingob told members of his Cabinet.
He called upon all stakeholders and peace-loving Namibians to join forces with the law enforcement agencies in the fight against this inhumane phenomenon.
“Let us all unite to practice zero tolerance for GBV. I have confidence in all of you and your renewed commitment to serve the people of Namibia with honour. With the collective talent and expertise of this cabinet and the government at large, we can overcome the challenges facing us,” he said.