Namises happy with Hango sentencing
TUYEIMO HAIDULA
OSHAKATI
Human rights activist Rosa Namises on Friday cried ‘tears of relief’ as northern businessman Sindano Hango was sentenced to 15 years in jail in the Oshakati Regional Court for raping his cousin in 2014.
Namises, in her capacity as director of Woman Solidarity Namibia, was one of the first people to speak out against police’s reluctance to arrest Hango in 2014. It took 18 days for him to be arrested after the rape took place on 10 October that year. She later became a state witness in the case.
Namibian Sun spoke to Namises shortly after the sentence was handed down while she was comforting the victim, who had burst into tears.
Hango was acquitted in 2019, but State prosecutor Nelao ya France appealed the verdict, leading to a successful conviction and sentencing.
“Justice has been served,” Namises said, adding: “I was afraid with all what is at the background of this case. People being high profile, I thought the case was going to go down the drain. I am very happy that today we have been once again given the assurance that we have to fall back to the justice system no matter what. They are an independent judiciary and they will act in the best interest of the complainants”.
‘Media have a duty’
Hango, in mitigation of his sentence, accused the media of influencing the case.
To this, Namises said she noticed during the trial that the community and the media were portrayed negatively, as if they should not participate.
The media have a duty, she said, whether it is a Fishrot case, sexual harassment, a criminal case, a rape or whether the highest authority of this land committed the act; they have to speak up and participate and bring this person to book.
Namises added that the media need to announce news and inform communities.
“As the community, we must be willing witnesses to present our cases. The courts are open as long as we speak the truth. I want to applaud the complainant; she has stood firm since 2014. That was just tears of relief you saw today.
“Women, whether you live in an urban setting or affluent community or are attacked by affluent persons, let us stand up and report.
“Today, I am saying to the courts, justice has been served. We can now go on and allow the complainant to start living her life and building her future because some relief has been given by this magistrate court,” she said.
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OSHAKATI
Human rights activist Rosa Namises on Friday cried ‘tears of relief’ as northern businessman Sindano Hango was sentenced to 15 years in jail in the Oshakati Regional Court for raping his cousin in 2014.
Namises, in her capacity as director of Woman Solidarity Namibia, was one of the first people to speak out against police’s reluctance to arrest Hango in 2014. It took 18 days for him to be arrested after the rape took place on 10 October that year. She later became a state witness in the case.
Namibian Sun spoke to Namises shortly after the sentence was handed down while she was comforting the victim, who had burst into tears.
Hango was acquitted in 2019, but State prosecutor Nelao ya France appealed the verdict, leading to a successful conviction and sentencing.
“Justice has been served,” Namises said, adding: “I was afraid with all what is at the background of this case. People being high profile, I thought the case was going to go down the drain. I am very happy that today we have been once again given the assurance that we have to fall back to the justice system no matter what. They are an independent judiciary and they will act in the best interest of the complainants”.
‘Media have a duty’
Hango, in mitigation of his sentence, accused the media of influencing the case.
To this, Namises said she noticed during the trial that the community and the media were portrayed negatively, as if they should not participate.
The media have a duty, she said, whether it is a Fishrot case, sexual harassment, a criminal case, a rape or whether the highest authority of this land committed the act; they have to speak up and participate and bring this person to book.
Namises added that the media need to announce news and inform communities.
“As the community, we must be willing witnesses to present our cases. The courts are open as long as we speak the truth. I want to applaud the complainant; she has stood firm since 2014. That was just tears of relief you saw today.
“Women, whether you live in an urban setting or affluent community or are attacked by affluent persons, let us stand up and report.
“Today, I am saying to the courts, justice has been served. We can now go on and allow the complainant to start living her life and building her future because some relief has been given by this magistrate court,” she said.
– [email protected]
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