Rundu's crime hotspot

Rundu's crime hotspotNHE Kings Park residents claim the bushy area has become a hotspot for crime. Irate residents clear crime-prone bushes Residents of the National Housing Enterprise (NHE) Kings Park in Rundu late last year cleared land of the Romanus Kamunoko Secondary School, because the bushy area is a notorious crime hotspot.

Clearing started on 23 December 2016 after yet another rape incident in the area on 16 December last year.

NHE Kings Park has 208 houses and many residents moved there in 2002.

A committee consisting of 12 residents was formed after long deliberations for them to do something in the interest of the community.

One of the committee members, Annalisa Muranda, told Nampa they lobbied residents to assist and many of them donated money towards the initiative.

A total of N$8 400 was collected for the clearing of the area.

Muranda said the money will mainly be used to buy food for those helping in the cleaning activity as well as to pay for services needed in the bush clearing process.

She said the committee was assisted with gloves, black rubbish bags and masks by the Rundu Town Council and the Ministry of Health and Social Services.

The committee used their own tools such as axes to cut down trees.

Muranda said the cleaning exercise is not yet done because the rain stopped them from continuing.

Another committee member, Conrad Akwenye, said criminals use the bushy piece of land to plan robbery of houses.

“My house, for example, was broken into three times already and they stole many valuable items, which is the same with many of my neighbours here,” he said.

On several occasions, Akwenye said, they hear cries for help coming from the bush but they are scared to risk their own lives.

“You can really not come out to help because you are too afraid something bad could happen to you, and it is based on this suffering that we realised something drastic had to be done.”

Akwenye noted that the challenge of streetlights in NHE Kings Park not functioning exacerbated the problem.

“We decided to rather group ourselves and fight the crime we are facing by standing together for the sake of our people,” he said.

Approached for comment, Northern Regional Electricity Distribution (Nored) spokesperson Herman Ngasia wanted to know from this reporter if the committee reported the issue to them, saying they can only respond on complaints laid.

During the clearing, residents found drugs, cattle ear tags, and a made-up bed among other items.

Muranda said the area was cleared during Operation Omake here in February last year, but the bush grew back fast due to continuous rain received in the region.

Operation Omake was launched by President Hage Geingob last year with the aim of reducing crime by de-bushing identified crime-prone areas such as bush paths.

Residents said that since they cleared the piece of land, they have been sleeping peacefully as no crime has since been reported in the area, something which has earned them praise across Rundu.

In an effort to avoid dumping of refuse on the freshly cleared land, the committee will now issue fines of N$100 to residents who do so.

However, Rundu Mayor Verna Sinimbo said the committee should rather report cases of illegal dumping to council.

“You can take pictures of a vehicle for example or a person and forward such relevant information to council so that council, the institution empowered to issue fines by law, can then take the necessary steps against the perpetrators,” Sinimbo said.

Section 28 of the Solid and Hazardous Waste Management Regulation no 332 states that any person who is found dumping illegally will be liable to a fine of not exceeding N$2 000.

An impressed Sinimbo commended NHE residents for sacrificing their time during the festive season to ensure that their environment remains clean and free of criminals.

“People must realise that they are the custodians of their surroundings, which means it is their responsibility to take care of and protect their environment,” she said.

Sinimbo said council will surely back up efforts of this nature and support where it can.

Also asked to comment, Deputy Commissioner Willie Bampton told Nampa that he was not aware of any complaints from NHE residents about the crime-prone area, but did note two cases of housebreaking reported in that area recently.



Nampa