Mariental shebeens shut after stabbing spree

THE Mariental municipality has closed most of the shebeens in the town following a number of stabbing incidents there over the weekend.

Although hospital staff declined to comment on the seriousness of the matter, municipality CEO Paul Nghiwilepo told The Namibian that the hospital had its hands full with the victims of knife and panga attacks throughout Friday night. “Between seven o’clock on Friday night and seven o’clock Saturday morning, the hospital looked like a slaughterhouse,” Nghiwilepo said yesterday.At the Conna Shop shebeen in the Aimablaagte township alone, two people were killed and at least six more hospitalised when two men apparently went on a random stabbing spree there.The deceased, who according to Police both died between 22h50 and 01h45, were identified as Charles Awaseb (19) and Paul Jacobs (32).Police arrested the two suspects in those incidents, and both appeared in the Mariental Magistrate’s Court on Monday.Their cases were postponed until May 18, while more of their alleged victims are said to be in the process of laying charges of attempted murder against them.One of the stabbing victims in this incident, Fritz Jossop (20), described what happened as “random”, with the suspects grabbing victim after victim, and leaving them lying on the Aimablaagte gravel roads.Jossop said he was on his way home from the Conna Shop shebeen when one of the suspects ran towards him with a knife drawn.”That’s when I started running backwards and I threw my cellphone at him.But he went on chasing me and stabbed me in the back and then in the neck,” Jossop said.The suspect finally stopped chasing him when he made it into his mother’s corrugated-iron shack, he said.”He was pointing the knife at me and he told my mother that he’d stab her as well.He said, ‘it’s me who stabbed him, go make a case’,” Jossop told The Namibian.He was then admitted in the Mariental State Hospital, where he was treated for a five-centimetre cut in his neck, and a three-centimetre cut in the back.He was discharged on Monday morning and is recuperating at home.His mother, Susanna, echoed the Municipality’s concern about the number of stabbings over the weekend, saying that the majority of those treated at the hospital on Friday night had been stab victims.Nghiwilepo said the Town Council had decided to close all unlicensed shebeens in the town on Monday.He estimates that there are between 80 and 85 shebeens in the town, and says all of them are operating illegally.After the Friday night mayhem, Nghiwilepo says Police closed all shebeens in the town on Saturday, and no violence has been reported since then.”This shows that the shebeens are the cause of the problem,” he says, adding that many of the watering holes have been identified as “headaches for the Police and the town.”All shebeens will now have to reapply for licences, he said, and the success of the applications will be determined by the municipality.Some patrons of the township’s shebeens protested against the decision yesterday, arguing that this would leave many people unemployed, and deprive residents of the only form of entertainment they have.”Then they should give us a meeting, so we can discuss a movie theatre or a swimming pool,” said Ronnie Ndjao, standing outside of the Kudu No.2 shebeen yesterday afternoon.Salongo Festus, caretaker of Kudu No.2 said: “Many people running shebeens have seven or eight people they’re taking care of.So closing all the shebeens leaves hundreds of people without bread,” he said.”Between seven o’clock on Friday night and seven o’clock Saturday morning, the hospital looked like a slaughterhouse,” Nghiwilepo said yesterday.At the Conna Shop shebeen in the Aimablaagte township alone, two people were killed and at least six more hospitalised when two men apparently went on a random stabbing spree there.The deceased, who according to Police both died between 22h50 and 01h45, were identified as Charles Awaseb (19) and Paul Jacobs (32).Police arrested the two suspects in those incidents, and both appeared in the Mariental Magistrate’s Court on Monday.Their cases were postponed until May 18, while more of their alleged victims are said to be in the process of laying charges of attempted murder against them.One of the stabbing victims in this incident, Fritz Jossop (20), described what happened as “random”, with the suspects grabbing victim after victim, and leaving them lying on the Aimablaagte gravel roads.Jossop said he was on his way home from the Conna Shop shebeen when one of the suspects ran towards him with a knife drawn. “That’s when I started running backwards and I threw my cellphone at him.But he went on chasing me and stabbed me in the back and then in the neck,” Jossop said.The suspect finally stopped chasing him when he made it into his mother’s corrugated-iron shack, he said.”He was pointing the knife at me and he told my mother that he’d stab her as well.He said, ‘it’s me who stabbed him, go make a case’,” Jossop told The Namibian.He was then admitted in the Mariental State Hospital, where he was treated for a five-centimetre cut in his neck, and a three-centimetre cut in the back.He was discharged on Monday morning and is recuperating at home.His mother, Susanna, echoed the Municipality’s concern about the number of stabbings over the weekend, saying that the majority of those treated at the hospital on Friday night had been stab victims.Nghiwilepo said the Town Council had decided to close all unlicensed shebeens in the town on Monday.He estimates that there are between 80 and 85 shebeens in the town, and says all of them are operating illegally.After the Friday night mayhem, Nghiwilepo says Police closed all shebeens in the town on Saturday, and no violence has been reported since then.”This shows that the shebeens are the cause of the problem,” he says, adding that many of the watering holes have been identified as “headaches for the Police and the town.”All shebeens will now have to reapply for licences, he said, and the success of the applications will be determined by the municipality.Some patrons of the township’s shebeens protested against the decision yesterday, arguing that this would leave many people unemployed, and deprive residents of the only form of entertainment they have.”Then they should give us a meeting, so we can discuss a movie theatre or a swimming pool,” said Ronnie Ndjao, standing outside of the Kudu No.2 shebeen yesterday afternoon.Salongo Festus, caretaker of Kudu No.2 said: “Many people running shebeens have seven or eight people they’re taking care of.So closing all the shebeens leaves hundreds of people without bread,” he said.