Reverse The Culture Of Hear No Evil, See No Evil

EVERYONE in Namibia by now has been robbed or knows someone who has gone through such an ordeal. Thus crime no longer surprises.

But what irks me most is the fact that as a nation we are failing to deal with the problem of crime and have developed an over-reliance on the authorities to do something about it.The missing component is the citizen’s approach. No one is talking about how we can holistically tackle crime as a nation, while criminals and thugs are now blatantly robbing their victims in full view of the public with impunity.In the past Namibian thieves were less violent and many would run as soon as their evil deeds were exposed. But now people are terrified of them. My experience last Thursday is an example of how people now opt to pretend not to see how a fellow human being is being robbed. It was at about 19h00 and I was visiting a friend’s bar in Katutura. The place was empty apart from two ladies having a drink with their handbags visible on their table in front of them. The bartender was nowhere in sight so I decided to leave. On my way out I bumped into a group of about four men entering the bar. I remember the one in front was wearing a T-shirt and red-and-black chequered shorts. He had a N$10 note in his hands. Within a few seconds, I heard someone scream behind me, and when I turned I was met by the four men fleeing the bar, at the same time as the women were shouting that a handbag had been snatched. Acting on impulse, I ran after the thieves. I managed to tackle the one who had the handbag. As I wrestled with him he let go of the bag, while my spectacles and my phone went flying as well. The three other thugs made their way through a corridor into a riverbed.While I was trying to hold their friend down, people in the street were minding their business and no one came to my aid, apart from the two women who were robbed. In no time the two other thugs re-emerged, probably in the realisation that I was alone and no one else had helped.I heard the one I’d pinned down shouting ‘steek hom, steek hom’, (stab him, stab him). I looked behind me and I saw a dark figure holding an object which I couldn’t make out, but what caught my attention was the fellow with the chequered shorts pepper-spraying his victims who were collecting their handbag on the road. He then turned towards me, and then I had all three thugs on me with no help in sight.As the approaching thugs took my attention, the one I was holding down managed to free himself. At that point a driver shown his vehicle’s lights on the scene and all three thugs escaped. Fortunately the handbag was recovered but they had made off with the bar owner’s phone. I am not advocating mob justice or asking people to risk their lives, but if everyone could do their part, even if it means screaming and shouting to get attention, or throwing stones, thieves will no longer feel safe terrorising people in full view of others.I took part in a citizens’ arrest before this incident and in that case as well the thug had a knife and pepper spray but it was rendered useless because a group of people apprehended him. I think it’s about time we take back our streets to make them safe for our children, sisters and mothers to walk freely, or we can continue minding our own business and turning the other cheek while people are being robbed. We need to ask ourselves who will be there to help you when you are the one on the receiving end? Trust me, at the rate we are going you are next, in fact, your turn can come at any minute.