Oshakati: A 44-year-old woman has been arrested for allegedly assaulting her seven-year-old son at Onashiku shaLaban village in the Oshakati district. The Namibian Police Force’s Crime Investigations Coordinator for Oshana, Deputy Commissioner Frederick Ndjadila, reported that the incident occurred around 07h00 on Thursday.
According to Namibia Press Agency, the boy and two other minors were left home alone by the woman and her boyfriend the previous night when they went to the local cuca shops. The children, finding themselves unsupervised, went to a neighbour’s house where they eventually spent the night.
The woman and her boyfriend returned home at 23h00 but did not retrieve the children from the neighbour’s house. The following morning, as the older boy prepared for school, his mother allegedly assaulted him with a belt, causing his left eye to swell.
Ndjadila mentioned that the school’s management reported the incident to the police due to the severity of the injury and the mother’s lack of cooperati
on. The woman was subsequently arrested, and the boy received medical treatment at the Oshakati State Hospital.
Ndjadila also noted that all three children were removed from the woman’s house and placed in the care of their grandmother, with the assistance of a social worker. Police investigations into the incident are ongoing.