Safety audit report
Windhoek: Okahandja Park
1

LIST OF FIGURES………… .................................................................................................................. 5
LIST OF TABLES…………… ................................................................................................................ 6
LIST OF IMAGES……….. ..................................................................................................................... 7
LIST OF ACRONYMS………. ............................................................................................................... 8
1.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................. 9
2.
INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND ................................................................................. 13
2.1 Violence in Namibia ................................................................................................................ 13
2.2 The Community and Local Authority Based Violence Prevention Project (CLAB-VPP) ............ 14
2.3 The Research Sites .................................................................................................................. 14
2.4 The Safety Planning Process ................................................................................................... 15
2.5 Research Methodology ........................................................................................................... 16
2.6 Study limitations .................................................................................................................... 17
3.
OKAHANDJA PARK ................................................................................................................. 19
4.
DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE ...................................................................................................... 20
4.1 Demographic Profile ............................................................................................................... 20
5.
HOME ENVIRONMENT ........................................................................................................... 22
5.1 Household Demographics ....................................................................................................... 22
5.2 Housing Type and Provision of Basic Services ......................................................................... 23
5.3 Access to Certain Items in the Household ............................................................................... 23
5.4 Lived Poverty Index ................................................................................................................ 24
6.
NEIGHBOURHOOD .................................................................................................................. 26
6.1 Attitudes toward their Neighbourhood ................................................................................... 26
6.2 Prevalence of Crime ............................................................................................................... 27
6.3 Primary Challenges Faced in Okahandja Park .......................................................................... 28
6.4 A Closer Look at Domestic Violence (DV) In Namibia ............................................................... 31
6.5 Access to Facilities in their Neighbourhoods ........................................................................... 33
6.6 Access to Substances and Weapons in the Neighbourhood..................................................... 34
6.6.1 Very Easy Access to Substances and Other Weapons in the Neighbourhood ................... 35
7.
EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT ........................................................................................ 36
7.1 School Attendance and Level of Education ............................................................................. 36
7.2 Reasons for Not Attending or Completing School ................................................................... 38
7.3 Victimisation Levels at School ................................................................................................. 38
7.4 Employment Status ................................................................................................................ 40
8.
PERCEPTIONS OF SAFETY .................................................................................................... 42
8.1 Perceptions of Safety With Regard to Vulnerable Groups ....................................................... 42
8.2 Perceptions of Safety around Certain Areas ............................................................................ 43
8.3 Perceptions of Safety in the Home and Neighbourhood .......................................................... 45
8.4 Transport safety in the Okahandja Park .................................................................................. 45
2

9.
EXPOSURE TO VIOLENCE ...................................................................................................... 46
9.1 Exposure to Family and Community Violence ......................................................................... 46
9.1.1 Victims and Perpetrators of Violence in the Home .......................................................... 47
9.2 Attitudes toward the Family in Relation to Violence ............................................................... 47
10.
VICTIMISATION… .................................................................................................................... 49
10.1 Experiences of Any Crime ....................................................................................................... 49
10.1.1 Reporting of the Crimes Experienced .............................................................................. 50
10.1.2 Access to Any Support or Counselling Services ................................................................ 51
10.1.3 Behaviour Changes Due to Experiencing Crime ............................................................... 52
10.2 Experiences of Specific Crimes ................................................................................................ 52
10.2.1 Assault ............................................................................................................................ 52
10.2.2 Robbery .......................................................................................................................... 53
10.2.3 Home Burglary ................................................................................................................ 53
10.2.4 Theft of a Vehicle or Bicycle ............................................................................................ 54
10.2.5 High-jacking of a Vehicle or Bicycle ................................................................................. 54
10.2.6 Sexual Assault/Rape ........................................................................................................ 55
10.2.7 Deliberate Damage to Property ...................................................................................... 56
10.2.8 Murder ........................................................................................................................... 56
10.2.9 Stock-theft ...................................................................................................................... 57
10.2.10 Theft of Personal Property .............................................................................................. 57
11.
ACCESS TO INFORMATION, SUPPORT AND OTHER SERVICES .................................... 59
11.1 Access to Information in Relation to Crime ............................................................................. 59
11.2 Access to Core Support Services ............................................................................................. 60
11.2.1 Access to the Police Station ............................................................................................ 60
11.2.2 Access to the Health Clinic .............................................................................................. 60
11.2.3 Access to the Social Welfare Office ................................................................................. 61
11.2.4 Access to the Local Court ................................................................................................ 61
11.3 Time it takes to get to the Nearest Point of Transport ............................................................ 62
11.4 Proposed Government Expenditure ........................................................................................ 62
11.5 Attitudes toward the Provision of Basic and Social Services in the Neighbourhood ................. 63
12.
PERCEPTIONS OF THE POLICE ............................................................................................ 65
12.1 Perceptions of the Accessibility and Ease of Reporting Crime to Police ................................... 65
12.2 Perceptions of Safety with Regard to Disclosing Information to Police and the Courts ............ 67
12.3 Perceptions of Police Services ................................................................................................. 68
12.4 Police Visibility in the Neighbourhood .................................................................................... 68
12.5 How to Improve Police Services .............................................................................................. 70
12.6 Legislation with regard to witnesses of crime and community service in Namibia ................... 70
13.
SOCIAL CAPITAL ...................................................................................................................... 72
3

13.1 Participation in Certain Activities ............................................................................................ 73
13.2 Attitudes toward Social Cohesion in the Neighbourhood ........................................................ 74
13.3 Involvement in Programmes and Projects in the Neighbourhood............................................ 75
13.4 Improving the Safety of People in the Neighbourhood............................................................ 75
14.
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ....................................................................... 77
APPENDIX A: Recommended focus areas for safety strategy ............................................ 80
APPENDIX B: International crime prevention strategies in Namibia .............................. 83
4

Figure 1: The Safety Planning Process .................................................................................................... 15
Figure 2: Research methods used for data collection ............................................................................. 16
Figure 3: Attitudes towards their neighbourhood (n=302) ...................................................................... 27
Figure 4: Most frequently identified challenges in Windhoek ................................................................. 28
Figure 5: Highest level of schooling attained (n=280) ............................................................................. 37
Figure 6: Reason for not attending or completing their schooling (n=275) .............................................. 38
Figure 7: Current employment status (n=297) ........................................................................................ 41
Figure 8: Access to the police station (n= 300) ....................................................................................... 60
Figure 9: Access to the nearest health clinic (n=301) .............................................................................. 61
Figure 10: Access to the nearest social welfare office (n=301) ................................................................ 61
Figure 11: Access to the local court (n=301) ........................................................................................... 62
Figure 12: I would want a single grant from the government for… (n=301)............................................. 62
Figure 13: Reasons victims do not report crime to the police (n=115) .................................................... 67
5

Table 1: Demographic profile of the sample (n=302) .............................................................................. 20
Table 2: Frequency of people per household (n=300) ............................................................................. 22
Table 3: Access to certain items in the household (n=302) ..................................................................... 24
Table 4: In the past twelve months how often have you and your family gone without… (%) ................. 25
Table 5: Attitudes towards the neighbourhood and prevalence of fights and crime in the neighbourhood27
Table 6: Access to facilities in their neighbourhoods (n=302) ................................................................. 33
Table 7: No access to facilities per age (%) ............................................................................................. 34
Table 8: Access to substances and weapons in the neighbourhood (%) .................................................. 34
Table 9: Very easy access to substances and weapons in the neighbourhood by age and gender (%) ..... 35
Table 10: Highest level of schooling attained, per gender (%) ................................................................. 37
Table 11: Victimisation at school, (n=222) .............................................................................................. 39
Table 12: Perceptions of safety with regard to vulnerable groups (%) .................................................... 42
Table 13: How safe do you generally feel at … ........................................................................................ 43
Table 14: Perceptions of safety around certain areas during different times of the day, per gender (%) 44
Table 15: In the past 12 months how often have you… .......................................................................... 45
Table 16: Perceptions of fear in the home and community (only on several occasions), per gender ....... 45
Table 17: Exposure to violence outside of the home per age group ........................................................ 47
Table 18: Victims and perpetrators with regard to witnessed family assaults ......................................... 47
Table 19: Attitudes towards respondent’s families (%) ........................................................................... 48
Table 20: Experiences of any crime, per gender and age group (%) ........................................................ 50
Table 21: Location of any crime (n=170)................................................................................................. 50
Table 22: Behaviour changes due to experiencing crime (n=119) ........................................................... 52
Table 23: Location of assault (n=79) ....................................................................................................... 52
Table 24: Location of robbery (n=79) ..................................................................................................... 53
Table 25: Location of theft of vehicle or bicycle (n=9) ............................................................................ 54
Table 26: Location of high-jacking of a vehicle or bicycle (n=5) ............................................................... 54
Table 27: Location of sexual assault/rape (n=11) .................................................................................... 56
Table 28: Location of deliberate damage to property (n=21) .................................................................. 56
Table 29: Location of Murder (n=23) ...................................................................................................... 57
Table 30: Perpetrators of Stock-theft (n=7) ............................................................................................ 57
Table 31: Location of theft of personal property (n=87) ......................................................................... 58
Table 32: Experiences of theft of property per age group (%) ................................................................. 58
Table 33: Government expenditure (%) ................................................................................................. 63
Table 34: Attitudes towards basic and support services in the neighbourhood (%) ................................. 64
Table 35: How safe would you feel if you needed to … (n=302) .............................................................. 67
Table 36: Perceptions of police services (%) ........................................................................................... 68
Table 37: Changes needed to improve services given to survivors of crime ............................................ 70
Table 38: Participation in specific activities ............................................................................................ 73
Table 39: Frequency of participating in certain activities (%) .................................................................. 74
Table 40: No participation in activities per age (%) ................................................................................. 74
Table 41: Graphical description of respondents’ attitudes towards social cohesion in the neighbourhood (%)
.............................................................................................................................................................. 74
Table 42: Ways to improve safety in the neighbourhood (n=289) ........................................................... 76
Table 43: A safe community would be…………. (n=302) ........................................................................... 76
6

Image 1: Geographical map of Okahandja Park ................................................................................................ 19
Image 2: Examples of houses in Okahandja Park .............................................................................................. 23
Image 3: Examples of roads in Okahandja Park ................................................................................................ 29
Image 4: A school in Okahandja Park ............................................................................................................... 36
Image 5: Example of public transportation ....................................................................................................... 44
Image 6: Children playing sports in Okahandja Park ......................................................................................... 73
7

ALAN
Assault GBH
CLAB-VPP
DV
IPV
LAC
NALAO
NANGOF TRUST
NAMPOL
NDP4
NP
SIAPAC
UTN
WCPU
WHO
WSN
Association for Local Authorities in Namibia
Assault with the intent to do grievous bodily harm
Community and Local Authority-Based Violence Prevention Project
Domestic Violence
Intimate Partner Violence
Legal Assistance Centre
Namibia Association of Local Authority Officers
Namibia Non-governmental Organisation’s Trust
Namibian Police
Namibia’s Fourth National Development Plan
Namibian Prison
Social Impact Assessment and Policy Analysis Corporation
Urban Trust of Namibia
Women and Child Protection Unit
World Health Organisation
Women’s Solidarity Network
8

Okahandja Park is the newest of the three safety sites in Namibia, and is comprised predominantly of informal and low-income housing. Provision of basic services, including water and sanitation, is almost non-existent (96% of residents collect water from communal taps and pumps). Similarly, access to community-based amenities such as halls, sports grounds, tele-centres and libraries, is very low. The Lived
Poverty Index (Mattes 2008) for the area shows that for a significant percentage of the residents, basic needs including access to adequate food, water, medical treatment, or fuel for cooking or heating are regularly not met. Unsurprisingly, levels of attachment to the neighbourhood amongst residents are low, and many residents anticipate moving out of the community. Related to this, the community is to a large part relatively transient, with movement in and out of the community frequently reported. This is explained in large part by the fact that the area is home to many migrating into Windhoek from other areas of Namibia in search of employment. Data for the Okahandja Park shows that this transience is correlated strongly with the perceptions of safety, and of crime in the community. Unemployment levels for the area are also higher than average, with one in three adults being unemployed.
Levels of violent crime in the area are high, with robbery (26.2% of residents) followed by assaults (23.8% of residents) being the most common crimes. These levels of violence are exacerbated by a reportedly high level of access to firearms and other weapons in the community. These levels of violence, often occurring in public spaces, are unlikely to be improved by a reported lack of access and visibility of police in the neighbourhood. A high number of illegal shebeens and taverns exist in the area, evidence of which is further reflected by the high level of concern with alcohol abuse reported by community members, and associated by the police with the levels of assault occurring in the area.
These findings point to the need to focus the safety strategy for the area on partnerships with local government to improve the delivery of basic services, and basic environmental design for the area, while at the same time addressing patterns of high alcohol abuse. The engagement of local authorities in the safety planning process, and in targeted activities (particularly the Urban Planning Department), will be pivotal to the successful implementation of any safety strategy in Okahandja Park. The safety plan, currently under development, will use these as the focal areas for engagement.
•
A total of 302 adults ranging from 18 to 70 years of age were sampled.
•
Young adults were the most represented in this sample, especially those in the age category 21-30 years.
•
Females were also overrepresented in this sample.
•
As this is a relatively young sample, it is not surprising that many of the respondents are single and have never been married before. A large proportion of respondents are, however, parents.
•
For many adults surveyed, their lives are characterised by poverty and unemployment.
•
Harsh realities exist where stable employment is hard to achieve and basic services are severely limited or in some cases nonexistent.
•
A total of 96.0% of respondents have to collect water from community taps and 81.7% have no access to toilet facilities.
•
Access to electricity is also extremely hard, resulting in most
9

residents in Okahandja Park having limited access to various household electrical items.
•
Crime is rife; almost half of the respondents (45.4%) revealed that fights frequently occur and 39.1% indicated that crime occurs all the time in their neighbourhoods.
•
The harmful effects of substance abuse are also felt by many where this factor proved prominent in relation to perceived increases or stability of levels of crime in the community for the past three years.
•
In light of the above, it was hardly surprising that access to alcohol is very easy to come by.
•
More females reported very easy access to alcohol, marijuana, other drugs and weapons such as knives than males.
•
The youth were also identified as the major perpetrators of violence in the respondents’ neighbourhoods.
•
Despite the presence of major social problems, positive attitudes regarding their neighbourhood were held by many.
•
Encouragingly, the findings show that many people have been afforded the opportunity to go to school.
•
For those who were not as fortunate, this was primarily due to financial reasons.
•
Factors that played a part in hindering school attendance or completion were the inability to afford the costs associated with schooling (44.0%), failing a grade (19.5%) and unplanned pregnancy (7.9%).
•
Violence at school was not a reality for the majority of households surveyed.
•
For those who had experienced school violence, this mainly took the form of physical violence.
•
Unemployment was common for many residents of Okahandja
Park, where 32.2% revealed that they are currently unemployed but seeking work.
•
Children and women are regarded as the most vulnerable groups in Okahandja Park in terms of safety.
•
As the time of the day changes, so do perceptions of safety, with personal feelings of safety declining dramatically after dark.
•
Many rely on public transportation to get around, especially taxis.
•
With regard to transport safety this can be significantly improved if train stations/bus stations/taxi ranks are made safer, more security/police are employed at places of public transportation and by utilising CCTV on public transport.
•
Violence in the home is not prominent; however violence outside of the home is more common.
•
With regard to the latter, more males than females were exposed to violence outside of the home and this was also more common for the age cohort 21-30 years.
•
Interestingly, victims and perpetrators of violence were similar
(where relatives other than parents, siblings or children were identified as both the victims and perpetrators of family violence
10

witnessed in the home).
•
The serious nature of violence was highlighted, where many respondents sustained injuries that required medical treatment.
•
Alcohol was implicated in the majority of violent acts occurring within the home.
•
Many people in Okahandja Park have personally experienced crime, or had people in their household who had been the victim of crime.
•
A total of 28.8% were victims of theft, 23.8% were victims of physical assault, 26.2% robbery, 18.2% burglary, 3.0% had their vehicle or bicycle stolen, 1.7% hijacking, 3.7% sexual assault or rape, 7.3% had their property deliberately damaged, and 7.6% of respondents reported that their household had ever been affected by murder.
•
Many of the incidences of crime occurred during the year prior to the safety audit.
•
Reporting of crimes was varied. However, the majority of adults surveyed have told someone about their experiences of crime.
•
This trend, however, was not present in terms of accessing any support or counselling services after experiencing crime.
•
Many have accessed core support services, despite the problems encountered with regard to actually making use of their services, such as the long distances from their homes to the nearest police station, social welfare office, health clinic and local court, not to mention the cost of getting to the abovementioned places.
•
In terms of safety, there is a lack of awareness with regard to accessing information on how to protect themselves from harm.
•
According to the residents interviewed, the government should pay more attention to service delivery issues, where housing, electricity and child care were predominantly cited as areas that required state intervention.
•
To improve residential areas, government expenditure should be directed towards education, social development, health care and housing.
•
In order to increase the safety of residents in Okahandja Park, it was reported that more funds should be allocated to crime prevention initiatives in the area.
•
For the most part, respondents felt that the police cannot be counted on in times of need.
•
This was reflected by the relatively high percentages attained for views that the police are ineffective and not trustworthy. Many also reported that they would not feel safe if they had to tell the police about a crime that they had witnessed.
•
Despite this, the findings revealed that police special operations, services to victims or survivors of crime, police patrolling in vehicles and police liaison with the community were generally well executed in their community.
•
To improve police services in the community, police members need to improve their response time to distress calls, work on
11

more effective victim reception, follow-up on cases and strengthen the investigation unit.
•
A strong sense of social cohesion is present in this sample.
•
Despite this hopeful sign, the majority of people are not participating in activities offered in their communities.
•
Efforts should be directed at changing this, especially with regard to the youth (as they were identified as the common perpetrators of violence).
•
This, however, would necessitate the provision of recreational facilities and programmes.
•
Current initiatives could prove to be more effective if community members were to look out for each other’s children, watch each other’s houses, work together as a community, and report crime or suspicious activities.
•
Respondents felt that a safe community is one that is clean and beautiful, where community members are trusted, where no crime occurs, and a sense of togetherness is present.
12

2.1
Violence in Namibia
Following its independence in 1990, Namibia has achieved remarkable strides in economic and social reform.
Despite these successes, the country has been plagued with escalating levels of violence that have permeated
Namibian homes, schools as well as broader social environments. This violence is most often directed at women, children and other vulnerable groups in society.
Available statistics show that between 2002 and 2006
1
a total of 2,544 crimes involving the use of firearms were recorded. The majority of these (a total of 1,595) were perpetrated against women, while only 352 were perpetrated against men. For this same period, 207 women were murdered with firearms compared to only 43 male murders involving the use of a firearm. What’s more, a total of 2,130 robberies with the use of a firearm were recorded over the course of these five years. Again, significantly more women (n=1,276) than men
(n=422) were likely to fall victim to these crimes.
Figures obtained in 2001, revealed that Namibia has an estimated rate of 60 rapes per every 100 000 citizens. A comparative study assessing the levels of rape across 53 countries, have identified Namibia as the country with the highest levels of rape in this study sample.
2
The widespread occurrence of forced sex in Namibia is further attested to by research conducted in Windhoek and elsewhere in the country specifically the Kavango,
Ohangwena and Omaheke regions. The former study found that one in every two women participating in their study asserted that their first sexual encounter was not willingly engaged in. Furthermore, of those who had their sexual debut prior to the age of 15, a third reported that the sexual act was engaged in against their will.
3
Research in Kavango, Ohangwena and Omaheke showed that a quarter of interviewees in the 10 to 14 year age cohort had ever been sexually abused.
4
Alarmingly, “40% of rapes in Namibia are committed by someone known to the victim” according to research by the Legal Assistance Centre (LAC).
5
Domestic violence is widespread in Namibian communities. A study across eight countries in the Southern
African Development Community (SADC), found that more than two fifths (44%) of men felt that women (or wives more particularly) deserve to be physically hit at times. Worryingly, women too were of this opinion – with 29% of female participants claiming that violence perpetrated against them could be deserved.
6
Thus a significant proportion of the country’s population seems to view violence as an acceptable means of resolving conflict within the domestic sphere; a notion that may contribute to the perpetuation of violence within communities and families.
In 2010, a study among a cohort of school learners in Namibia captured information on various forms of violence exposure.
7
More than a tenth (13.1%) of the 381 youths between the ages of 12 and 22 reported that their family argued a lot. Similarly, 13.1% also reported that their family members sometimes hit each other when they become angry. Physical assaults within the home often included the use of weapons (36.7%), most
1
UTN Programme framework proposal. Community and LA based violence prevention, Draft 1 (2)
2
Ibid.
3
Ibid.
4
Ibid.
5
LAC, 2008, Addressing gender-based violence through community empowerment. Gender Research & Advocacy Project, pg. 11.
6
UTN Programme framework proposal, op cit.
7
Burton, P., Leoschut, L., & Popovac, M. (2011), Protecting the flame: Overcoming violence as a barrier to education.
Monograph Series, No. 8, Centre for Justice and Crime Prevention: Cape Town.
13

typically sticks (43.8%). One in ten of these attacks (10.4%) were severe enough to warrant medical treatment for the victims.
8
Violence in schools cannot be considered as separate from the broader societal environment in which the schools operate. This same study – conducted in four regions in Namibia namely Ohangwena, Omusati,
Oshana and Oshikoto – also highlighted the prevalence of school violence. More than a third of learners
(36.9%) perceived violence at schools to be a big problem. Of the 381 learners surveyed, 22.6% had ever been verbally teased, insulted or intimidated with harm, 18.8% had been hit, kicked or punched, 17.3% had been threatened with harm and 5.7% had been forced to do something with their bodies against their will by someone at school.
9
Transactional sex relationships between male educators and female learners also came to light during this study.
The reaction to these ever increasing levels of violence has been the call for efforts to curb the prevalence of violence. Much of the efforts that have been introduced thus far have assumed a penal approach – only temporarily removing the perpetrators from society without addressing the root causes of societal violence and thus providing only a short-term solution to this social ill. What is needed, however, is a holistic, long-term approach to addressing crime and violence that brings together the resources of all stakeholders with the responsibility of creating safe and violence-free communities.
2.2
The Community and Local Authority Based Violence Prevention Project (CLAB-VPP)
The need to address this gap in safety promotion and crime prevention culminated in the Community and Local
Authority-Based Violence Prevention Project (CLAB-VPP). This initiative is a collaborative project between the
Urban Trust of Namibia (UTN), the Association for Local Authorities in Namibia (ALAN), the Namibia Association of Local Authority Officers (NALAO), and the Namibia Non-Governmental Organisation’s Trust (NANGOF Trust).
Overall, the project aims to work with three communities in Namibia, along with their local authorities and relevant private and civil society stakeholders to:
•
Establish a detailed picture of the overall crime situation along with the primary safety-related concerns of the community;
•
Develop safety plans for each community to address the primary areas of concern; and
•
Establish violence prevention forums involving key stakeholders to ensure implementation and oversight of the safety plans.
2.3
The Research Sites
Three communities have been identified for the pilot phase of this project following a series of intensive stakeholder consultations. Each of these three sites will present individual challenges on the basis of their diversity. These three sites are Rehoboth, Oshikango and Windhoek (Okahandja Park.) a) Rehoboth
Rehoboth is regarded as one of the most problematic communities in Namibia as a result of high levels of crime and violence. More specifically, the high numbers of murders recorded in this town on a monthly basis. Recent statistics published in a local newspaper article estimate between three to four murders occurring per month.
Few preventative efforts have been implemented in this community.
10
8
Ibid.
9
Ibid.
10
UTN Programme framework proposal, op cit.
14

b) Okahandja Park – an “informal” settlement area in Windhoek
Windhoek is the capital city of Namibia. Following independence in 1990, the city has experienced an influx of people, resulting in burgeoning informal settlements on the outskirts of the town. In addition, this increase in the population is mainly due to high rates of rural-to-urban migration.
11
Okahandja Park is one of these informal settlements. c) Oshikango
Oshikango forms part of the Helao Nafidi town proclaimed as such in March 2004. The town is made up of five settlements namely Oshikango, Omafo, Engela, Ohangwena and Onhuno; these are predominantly rural settings. Oshikango, the focus of the safety audits, became a pure business area given its location on the border with Angola. Since October 2004, the Helao Nafidi Town Council has started to implement measures and mechanisms (political, managerial, administrative, technical and financial) required for town development.
12 The population of the town is estimated at 20 000 inhabitants. Although Oshikango is urban (in
Namibian context), 80% of the town or land area is comprised of homesteads, adding a more rural dimension to the project.
2.4
The Safety Planning Process
Safety plans propose crime prevention as a means of addressing the levels of crimes within communities. It shifts focus away from responding to crime and victimisation after an offence has occurred to putting in place measures to prevent the crime before it occurs. Thus, a safety plan is an integrated social crime prevention plan that puts forward a framework guiding the various stakeholders responsible for safety on ways in which to address the safety concerns of their communities. The safety plan process commences with the identification of the most common crimes and safety-related challenges in a given area. This data is usually captured by means of a safety audit.
Figure 1: The Safety Planning Process
Identify the most common crimes in the area
Explore the contextual factors influencing crime
Identify existing crime prevention initatives in the area
Prioritise the social, physical and environmental challenges requiring intervention
11
Smit, N, 2012. Windhoek shantytowns bursting at the seams. The Namibian.
12
UTN programme framework proposal, op cit.
15

2.5
Research Methodology
Both quantitative as well as qualitative research methods were drawn on to collect the information required for this safety audit. For the quantitative component of this study, a survey questionnaire was used to collect face-to-face information from approximately 300 households per site. The questionnaire captured information on:
•
Individual and household demographics;
•
Attitudes toward and perceptions of the neighbourhood;
•
Access to facilities in the community;
•
Access to addictive substances and weapons;
•
Exposure to violence at home, school and the community;
•
Perceptions of safety and fear of crime;
•
Access to basic, support and other services in the community;
•
Perceptions of the police; and
•
Involvement in social activities.
The sampling process for each of these three sites was governed by the lack of statistical and demographic information on the population in these areas. This necessitated the reliance on the assistance of local coordinators who were familiar with the demography of these areas to identify high, medium and low density areas within each of these sites to determine the sample breakdown for each community. One member 18 years of age and older were surveyed per household.
To ensure the reliability of the data, the enumerators, following a two-day training session, first practiced their interviewing skills by administering questionnaires to other fieldworkers under the supervision of the researcher overseeing the safety audit in each site. This training session also helped to minimise any reporting errors in field.
The survey questionnaire was supplemented by several qualitative research methods including document analysis and a series of in-depth interviews with local authorities and relevant stakeholders in each of these three sites. These methods were employed with the sole intention of eliciting information necessary to sketch a detailed picture of the violence and crime situation in these sites.
Figure 2: Research methods used for data collection
Document
Analysis
Household
Survey
DATA
COLLECTION
Stakeholder interviews
16

The safety audit is a crucial step in the development of safety plans since it provides a sound knowledge base which:
•
Reveals the social, economic and other factors influencing crime in the identified community;
•
Engages various stakeholders in relevant services;
•
Builds consensus about where to focus resources to address the primary concerns identified;
•
Informs goal-setting and the choice of response;
•
Promotes integrated and focused action by relevant stakeholders; and
•
Sets a baseline against which to measure the effectiveness of safety plans once it has been implemented.
13
2.6
Study limitations
Like any other research study, this safety audit process faced a number of challenges. These challenges should be borne in mind when interpreting the findings highlighted in this research report.
Survey component
The survey instrument designed for the quantitative component of this study asked community members in the identified research sites directly about their experiences of crime. Doing so, allowed for the capturing of experiences that may have been excluded from official crime statistics given the tendency of victims to not report all crimes they experience. In fact, this inclination was demonstrated in this report as well. For this reason, the statistics obtained in this safety audit provides a useful complement to the current police statistics for this area.
Even so, it must be acknowledged that surveys exploring victimisation are not able to provide a complete measure of the total number of illegal activities that occur in a given community. Reasons for this, is that it can only capture information on criminal acts where there is an identifiable victim. Hence, drug-related crimes for example, will not be accurately depicted in the findings of this study.
The accuracy of the victimisation rates reported on in this report is dependent on participants’ ability to accurately remember past experiences of crime. Earlier studies have found that the longer the elapsed time period from the date of the victimisation, the less likely it is that the individual will accurately recall details pertaining to the event. To circumvent this, respondents in this study, were asked about both lifetime experience of crime (i.e. having ever experienced any crime), as well as past year experiences of crime (i.e. having experienced any crime in the last 12 months).
Stakeholder interviews
In addition to the survey component of the study, the researchers sought to obtain the views of as many stakeholders in each research site as possible. The stakeholders were selected on the basis of being viewed as having expertise in the sectors dealing with safety and security, children and youth, violence and violence prevention and communities on a broader level. Thus, the stakeholders approached for participation in this study encompassed a wide range of individuals including police representatives, staff from local municipalities or town councils, religious leaders, community and village leaders, educators and principals, social workers and other health-care practitioners, government representatives from various ministries, non-governmental organisations as well as other community-based organisations.
13
Guidance on Local Safety Audits: A compendium of International Practice. Available from http://www.fesu.org
.
17

A number of stakeholders agreed to an interview with the researchers, while others indicated that they were not able to meet physically but could respond to the research questions via email. The views obtained in the individual audit reports are those of the stakeholders who agreed to participate in the study and who availed themselves for an interview, as well as those who provided electronic responses to the research questions prior to the write-up of the research data.
Document analysis
In addition to the stakeholder interviews, demographic and contextual information was also extracted from various data sources to substantiate key points made in the audit report. One such data source is the 2001
National Census Data of Namibia. Even though the 2011 preliminary national census results have been released by the Central Bureau of Statistics in Namibia, the results are not specific in terms of regional information.
14
For this reason, more emphasis has been placed on the earlier census data. Very little information was found on policing strategies and acts, hence, limited mention of it in this audit report.
Community Participation
It was envisioned to conduct the safety audit and also the development of the subsequent safety plans within a community participatory framework. This was better achieved in some sites than others. Okahandja Park in
Windhoek specifically had a poorer turnout of community stakeholders for the validation workshops of the audit findings.
14
National Planning Commission, Namibia 2012: 2011 Population and housing Census Preliminary results
18

High levels of crime and violence are often associated with informal settlements. The second site identified for this pilot phase was Okahandja Park, one of these informal living areas. Approximately 1,700 people (around
700 households)
15
live in Okahandja Park which is situated North West of the Windhoek City Centre and is regarded as one of the most densely populated areas in Namibia along with other informal settlements such as
Hakahana.
16
Not only is Okahandja Park, as are most informal settlements, plagued with high levels of crime and violence but also a lack of basic services such as water, electricity and sewerage, having little or even non-existent road infrastructure and no refuse removal by the municipality.
17
Newspaper reports have indicated that currently
Windhoek Municipality is undertaking plans to improve and formalise Windhoek’s informal settlements which would go a long way in providing citizens with basic services.
18
Image 1: Zonal Police map, Namibia
19
Okahandja Park
15
Nam-VAC, 2011. A pilot survey and field traning in Section 4A, Okahandja Park, Windhoek. (14-18 March 2011).
16
Smit, N, 2012, op cit
17
Ibid
18
Ibid
19
In the absence of any available map, we have replaced this with the Zonal police Map which does not reflect Okahandja
Park, but provides an indication of where it is situated (i.e. Zone 1)
19

SUMMARY OF KEY FINDINGS
•
More females (62.6%) than males (49.1%) were sampled for this study.
•
Most of the respondents were found in the age category 21 to 30 years.
•
The Ovambo ethnic group (56.3%) was the most represented group in this sample.
•
In line with this, Oshiwambo (49.7%) was the most widely spoken home language identified.
•
Respondents are mainly single (64.2%) and have never been married.
•
Almost two-thirds are parents and almost half revealed that their children live with them.
The following chapter will provide demographic statistics of the study sample. This includes information relating to the sample size, gender, age, ethnicity, nationality and main home language. It also looks at marital status, whether respondents have any biological children and the situations surrounding this.
4.1
Demographic Profile
The sample of this study consisted of 302 adults ranging from 18 to 70 years of age. More specifically, the majority of respondents were found in the age category 21-30 years. Significantly more females were sampled
(62.6%) when compared to males (37.4%). Participants belonging to the Ovambo ethnic group (56.3%) accounted for the majority of the population surveyed. In addition, respondents from the Kavango ethnic group comprised 31.5% of the sample. Oshiwambo (49.7%) and Rukwangali (23.2%) were identified as the most dominant languages spoken in this sample.
Table 1: Demographic profile of the sample (n=302)
Gender
Age
Ethnicity
Home language
Female
Male
18-20
21-30
31-40
41-50
51-60
61-70
Ovambo
Kavango
Damara
Nama
Oshiwambo
Rukwangali
Damara/Nama
%
62.6
37.4
14.6
52.0
23.5
6.3
3.3
0.3
56.3
31.5
6.3
3.0
49.7
23.2
7.9
More than half of respondents are single (never married) (64.2%), 19.5% are cohabiting/living with a partner and 14.9% are married. For a large proportion of adults surveyed, 71.9% are parents. Almost half of the
20

respondents (49.1%) cited that all of their children live with them, 23.4% revealed that only some of their children live with them. For 27.6% of those who indicated having any biological children, none of their children reportedly lived with them. Nearly all (99.0%) of those interviewed for this study indicated being Namibian citizens.
2001 NATIONAL CENSUS DATA
1
: TOBIAS HAINYEKO CONSTITUENCY
2
The demographic profile of the sample realised in Okahandja Park mimicked that of the Tobias
Hainyeko Constituency to a large degree:
•
•
•
A total population of 34 348
The constituency has more male (n=19 106) than female (n=15 242) inhabitants.
The greatest part of the population fall in the 15-59 year age category (70%), followed by the 5-14 (14%), under 5 (13%) and 60 years and older (1%) age categories.
•
Most (65%) of the inhabitants of this region have never been married, while 14% is married with a certificate, 7% traditionally, 11% consensually and 1% are divorced or separated.
PLEASE NOTE :
1 The 2011 Namibian Population and Housing Census Preliminary Results are available, however as of
December 2012, the data has yet to be finalized. The 2011 data suggests a possible growth rate in the Tobias
Hainyeko Constituency from a total of 34 348 inhabitants to 45 800 inhabitants
2 Okahandja Park is an informal settlement located within the Tobias Hainyeko Constituency which forms part of the
Khomas Region
Source: National Planning Commission Namibia, 2004; National Planning Commission Namibia, 2012: 2011
Population and Housing Census Preliminary results
21

SUMMARY OF KEY FINDINGS
•
In a third (33.4%) of these households, only one person had a stable or permanent source of income.
•
More than half (58.9%) of those surveyed in Okahandja Park were found to be living in shacks or informal rooms.
•
•
Okahandja Park is a poorly serviced area: o
96.0% have to collect water from community taps; and o
81.7% have no toilet facilities.
Access to electrical items is severely limited, largely because many households do not have electricity.
•
The basic needs of many living in this area are not adequately met.
In this section, information pertaining to the home environment such as household demographics, access to certain items in the household and the lived poverty index will be discussed.
5.1
Household Demographics
For this sample, the mean size of the household is 5.27. A total of 28.7% of these households reportedly only had one child under the age of eighteen living in the household, while 17.2% had two children younger than 18 years residing in the household. More than a third (34%) of the interviewees indicated that they themselves were the heads of their households.
Table 2: Frequency of people per household (n=300)
Number of people in the household
5
6
7
8
0
1
2
3
4
9
10
%
0
3.3
10.0
16.7
14.0
14.7
11.7
10.0
6.0
7.3
3.7
Number of people with permanent work/stable source of income
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
%
18.9
33.4
22.5
13.2
5.3
4.0
.7
1.0
.3
0
0
Employment was scarce in this area. Nearly a fifth (18.9%) of households had absolutely no stable source of income, 33.4% reported that at least one member of their household had a permanent source of income, and
27.6% of respondents indicated that at least two people in their household have a stable source of income.
22

Despite a strained financial situation observed for many of the respondents, it appears that a large majority
(89.3%) were not the recipients of any form of government grant or subsidy to boost their income. The majority of households did not own firearms (91.1%) or weapons (78.7%) of any sort.
5.2
Housing Type and Provision of Basic Services
A greater part of the sample was resident in shacks or informal rooms (58.9%), while others were found living in some form of low income housing (26.5%), other formal housing (7.3%) or a free standing house (4.0%).
With regard to the provision of basic services, it appears that access to water and sanitation is almost nonexistent. In particular, the majority of respondents have to collect water from community taps (96.0%).
Water is currently in short supply in Namibia and Windhoek and there is a continuous fear that the future demand will significantly go beyond the present supply.
20
Image 2: Examples of houses in Okahandja Park
In terms of access to proper sanitation, this is even more concerning, given the fact that 81.7% revealed that they have no toilet facilities. Due to the abovementioned, 11.7% have to make do with pit latrines/ventilated pit latrines (VIPS, portable chemical toilets). Flush toilets are used by 11.7% of respondents. In comparison with other urban cities in Namibia, the provision of sanitation services in Windhoek is relatively good.
21
However, this is not the case for many people in informal areas, where 21 000 people have no access to proper sanitation facilities.
22 These findings have highlighted the importance of providing people with basic necessities such as access to toilet facilities, thus improving the lives of many.
5.3
Access to Certain Items in the Household
When ascertaining whether respondents have access to certain items in their household, the data indicate that for many respondents, there is limited access to electrical items. More specifically, 41.5% have no access to a working radio, 88.7% have no access to a working computer, 72.3% have no access to a working television,
46.2% have no access to an electric or gas stove and 76.1% have no access to a primus cooker or hot plate. This could be explained in part by the fact that most of these households have no access to electricity. With regard to access to a working and connected fixed line phone, 99.0% said no, while 94.4% indicated that they have access to a working and connected mobile phone. It appears that many of the respondents have to find alternative ways to be transported because only 13% have access to a working vehicle.
20
Healthy cities programmes, 2004, City of Windhoek Health profile and Work plan.
21
Ibid
22
Ibid
23

Table 3: Access to certain items in the household (n=302)
Item
Working and connected fixed line phone
Working and connected mobile phone
Working computer
Working television
Working radio
Primus cooker or hot plate
Electric or gas stove
Working vehicle
Yes (%)
1.0
94.4
11.3
27.7
58.5
23.9
53.8
13.0
No (%)
99.0
5.3
88.7
72.0
41.5
76.1
46.2
87.0
HOUSEHOLD INFORMATION – 2001 NATIONAL CENSUS DATA
According to the 2001 National Census Data, households in the Tobias Hainyeko Constituency region:
•
Consist of an average of 3.8 members.
•
Are headed by males (69%) more often than females (36%).
•
98% have access to safe water.
•
58% have no toilet facility.
•
Only 20% have electricity for lighting.
•
Wages and salaries are the main source of income for 69% of households in this region, followed by business or non-farming sources of income (15%).
National Planning Commission Namibia, 2004
5.4
Lived Poverty Index
According to Mattes, (2008), the Afrobarometer was constructed to measure poverty.
23
What sets this index apart from others is the fact that qualitative data is gathered from the respondent, rather than just asking the respondent whether they have access to certain items.
24 Another important aspect of this measure which speaks to its usefulness is that it enables the researcher to see how many people actually go without the “basic necessities of life” 25 which is a proxy indicator for socio-economic status. The findings in Table 4, indicates that the basic needs of many living in Okahandja Park often go unmet. In particular, nine out of ten residents had gone without electricity one or more times in the last year, seven out of ten residents had gone without a cash income, enough food to eat, and enough fuel to cook with or heat their homes one or more times in the last year, and one in every two residents had gone without clean water and medicine or medical treatment one or
23
Mattes, 2008, The material and political bases of lived poverty in Africa: Insights from the Afrobarometer. Working paper No.98
24
Ibid
25
Ibid
24

more times in the 12 months prior to the study. Fortunately, most residents did not go without shelter in the time period asked about.
Table 4: In the past twelve months how often have you and your family gone without… (%)
Enough food to eat (n=302)
Medicine or medical treatment that you need
(n=302)
A cash income (n=300)
Enough clean water to drink and cook with
(n=301)
Shelter (n=301)
Electricity (n=293)
Enough fuel to heat your home or cook your food (n=270)
Never Just once or twice
31.1
43.7
13.2
18.2
26.7
48.5
92.1
2.0
20.4
10.0
16.3
4.0
1.0
11.1
A few times
39.1
26.2
36.0
25.2
2.6
1.0
50.0
Many times
13.9
6.6
20.7
9.6
.3
1.4
14.4
All the time
2.3
5.3
6.7
.3
1.0
94.5
4.1
Out of a sample of 302, 277 households (94.5%) did not have access to electricity. In light of this finding, it is not surprising, that in an earlier section a large majority of respondents indicated that they have limited or no access to electrical items in their household.
Namibia continues to be characterised by poverty despite being classified as an upper-middle-income country.
26
Available statistics show that in 2003/4, a total of 13.8% of households in the country were severely poor. This percentage increased to approximately 23% when households headed by the elderly (60 years of age and older) or children (those between the ages of 16 and 20 years) were also taken into consideration. Poverty persists despite the Poverty Reduction Strategy and the Poverty Reduction Action Programme having been implemented in the country for at least 10 years.
27
Namibia’s fourth National Development Plan aims to decrease the proportion of severely poor individuals from 15.8% (in 2009/10) to below 10% by 2017, primarily through creating sustainable job opportunities aimed at incorporating unskilled youth into the labour market.
28
26
Republic of Namibia. Namibia’s Fourth National Development Plan, NDP4. Windhoek, May 2012.
27
Ibid.
28
Ibid.
25

SUMMARY OF KEY FINDINGS
•
Crime (39.1%) and violence (40.9%) was widespread in Okahandja Park.
•
Even so, predominantly positive views are held by the majority of respondents with regard to their neighbourhood; a total of 44.9% likes the area in which they live, 64.2% felt safe in their neighbourhood and 63.5% felt that most people can be trusted in their neighbourhood.
•
Two out of five participants (40.9%) felt that crime had increased or stayed the same in their community over the last three years. Substance abuse (11.3%), poor policing (6.5%) and the daily occurrence of crime (6.0%) was the main factors believed to fuel this increase in crime.
•
Primary challenges facing many in Okahandja Park are the abuse of alcohol (18.0%), lack of basic services (16.7%), poverty (14.1%), unemployment (14.0%) violence and fighting (8.3%) and crime
(5.9%).
•
Access to alcohol was regarded as very easy to 58.9% of respondents.
•
Weapons were also very easy to access (48.0%).
•
When comparing males and females, the data showed that more females reported very easy access to alcohol, marijuana, other drugs (excluding marijuana) and other weapons such as knives when compared to males.
In this section, respondent perceptions related to their neighbourhood are detailed. The information presented here includes attitudes toward the neighbourhood, the prevalence of crime, the primary challenges faced by the community, access to facilities in the neighbourhood as well as access to substances and weapons.
6.1
Attitudes toward their Neighbourhood
In order to paint a picture of the respondents’ neighbourhoods, participants’ attitudes toward their neighbourhood were explored. Overall, the data indicate that respondents hold quite positive views with regard to the area in which they live. More specifically, when asked whether they liked the area in which they live, 64.9% agreed with this statement. Nearly two-thirds of the respondents (64.2%) stated that they feel safe in their neighbourhood. A similar proportion (63.5%) indicated that many people in their neighbourhood can be trusted. These feelings of trust are highlighted in the following statement, where 61.1% of respondents cited that there are many people in their neighbourhood that they could talk to regarding something that is important to them.
Despite this, negative views of the neighbourhood were held by many respondents. In particular, 36.8% revealed that they would like to move out of their neighbourhood. Exactly half of the population surveyed reported that people move in and out of their neighbourhood a lot, indicating that perhaps many of the people residing in these areas are not happy with where they are currently living. With regard to gender, more males
(58.9%; n=66) than females (45.0%; n=85) agreed to the statement that people frequently move in and out of their neighbourhoods In addition, more males (69.9%; n= 78) as opposed to females (59.8%; n=113) were of the opinion that most people in their neighbourhood can be trusted.
26

There are lots of people in my neighbourhood that I can talk to about something that is important to me
Most people in my neighbourhood can be trusted
61.1
63.5
People move in and out of my neighbourhood alot
50
I feel safe in my neighbourhood
Disagree
Agree 64.2
I’d like to move out of my neighbourhood
36.8
I like the area in which I live
0
64.9
10 20 30 40 50 60 70
6.2
Prevalence of Crime
When evaluating the crime situation in these respondents’ neighbourhood, the general trend observed is that crime is quite prevalent for many of them. In particular, 45.4% indicated that fights occur quite frequently in their area. With regard to crime, for only 18.2% crime never occurs in their neighbourhoods. Conversely, 39.1% of the sample reported that crime occurs all the time in their community, while 42.1% reported that crime occurs only sometimes in the area in which they live. Additional analysis have shown that respondents who revealed that fights occur in their neighbourhood all the time, (55.5%, n=76) also indicated that people are moving in and out of their neighbourhood.
Similar results were obtained with regard to crime. More specifically, respondents who indicated that crime occurs all the time (55.9%, n=66) revealed that people move in and out of their neighbourhood a lot. With regard to crime, respondents who cited that crime occurs all the time (44.9%, n=53) were also more likely to move out of their neighbourhood. Refer to Table 5.
Table 5: Attitudes toward the neighbourhood and prevalence of fights and crime in the neighbourhood
Attitude (Agree)
I like the area in which I live
I’d like to move out of my neighbourhood
I feel safe in my neighbourhood
People move in and out of my neighbourhood a lot
Most people in my neighbourhood can be trusted
Fights occurring all the time (%)
67.9 (n=93)
43.8 (n=60)
64.2 (n=88)
55.5 (n=76)
60.3 (n=82)
Crime occurring all the time (%)
67.8 (n=80)
44.9 (n=53)
65.3(n=77)
55.9 (n=66)
56.4 (n=66)
There are lots of people in my neighbourhood that I can talk to about something that is important to me
62.5 (n=85) 61.5 (n=72)
The high prevalence of crime is further highlighted in the fact that 40.9% of respondents revealed that crime in their community has increased or stayed the same over the last three years. Reasons or factors cited for perceived increases or stability with regard to levels of crime were: substance abuse (11.3%), poor policing
(6.3%) and the daily occurrence of crime (6.0%). The youth were identified as the most common perpetrators
27

by the adults surveyed. More specifically, all young people were identified as the most common perpetrators of crime by 22.0% of the sample surveyed. Two out of five residents (44.9%) cited that young males in particular were the most common perpetrators of crime in their area. This is consistent with international research that has shown that young people are most likely to be the victims and perpetrators of crime and violence.
29 Thus, indicating that the youth might be particularly vulnerable in Okahandja Park. It is then imperative to engage the youth, particularly males by establishing programmes where they can contribute to the development of their neighbourhoods with the ultimate goal of decreasing levels of violence and creating safer communities for all.
The majority (95.6%) of residents interviewed felt that there were not many empty or abandoned buildings in their neighbourhoods. In terms of pollution, this is quite common. Overall, 68.1% of respondents revealed that in their neighbourhoods they are exposed to air, noise and other forms of pollution.
6.3
Primary Challenges Faced in Okahandja Park
The respondents were also asked what they perceived to be the most important problems or challenges that their community is facing. The most frequently cited were abuse of alcohol (18.0%); reported by nearly a fifth of the overall sample, followed by a lack of basic services (16.7%) and poverty (14.1%). Other identified challenges were unemployment (14.0%), violence and fighting (8.3%) and crime (5.9%). Living in poverty or rather being raised in poverty has consistently been found to contribute to a greater likelihood of involvement in violence and crime.
30
This factor was one of the prevalent factors mentioned by the majority of the stakeholders.
Figure 4: Most frequently identified challenges in Okahandja Park
Crime
Unemployment
Poverty
Lack of basic services
Abuse of alcohol
0 5
5.9
10
14
14.1
15
16.7
18
20
In addition, empirical evidence suggests that poverty and inequality is associated with criminal offending across the spectrum.
31
Statistics from the Labour Force Survey of Namibia has revealed that unemployment in
29
Krug, E.G., Dahlberg, L.L., Mercy, J.A., Zwi, R.B & Lozano, R., 2002, World report on violence and health. Geneva: World health organization
303030
Sampson, R.J, & Lauritsen, J.L., 1994, Violent victimization and offending: individual, situational and community-level risk factors. In A. J Reisss and J.A Roth (eds). Understanding and preventing violence, volume 3: social influences (pp.1-
140). Washington DC: National Academy Press
31
Ministry of Justice, 2007, Social risk factors for involvement in crime. Strategic policy brief
28

Namibia is high even when taking into consideration that Namibia is still in its development stages.
32
In particular, 21.9% of people are unemployed (this refers to only people who are unemployed yet still looking for work). On the other hand, this statistic is higher when the definition of unemployed refers to people that are not working and not looking for employment; then increases to 36.7%.
33
HIGH ROAD ACCIDENT RATE IN WINDHOEK
One of the most common safety challenges confronting Okahandja Park is the high road accident rate in communities. This finding is consistent with traffic statistics received from the Windhoek
City Police.
•
For the week of the 1 st
to the 7 th
of August 2011, 155 crashes were reported in
Windhoek.
•
In Okahandja Park for the same time period, only five cases (3.2%) were reported to traffic authorities.
•
Crashes decreased in Windhoek for the week of the 12 th
to the 18 th
of September 2011
(from 155 to 146).
•
Okahandja Park also observed a decrease in crashes for the abovementioned time period (from five reported crashes to four crashes (2.7%)
•
Statistics for November 2011 has indicated increases in crashes for both the Windhoek region and Okahandja Park.
•
More specifically, for the week of the 21 st
to the 27 th
of November 2011, crashes increased for Windhoek (from 146 to 160) and Okahandja Park (from four to 15 (9.4%)
•
For the three months discussed (August, September and November) crashes that were attributed to alcohol ranged from 20- 23 in Windhoek.
Source: Windhoek City Police Traffic Services
Image 3: Examples of roads in Okahandja Park
32
Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, 2004. Namibia Labour Force Survey. Windhoek: Directorate of Labour Market
Servicdes.
33
Ibid
29

Interviews with several stakeholders in Windhoek confirmed much of the challenges raised by the interviewees. Alongside this, a myriad of other challenges were also brought to light.
THE MOST COMMON CHALLENGES CONFRONTING OKAHANDJA PARK
(RISK FACTORS FOR VIOLENCE)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Violence within families including: o incest and rape o abuse of the elderly o violent disciplinary methods
Crimes and violence against vulnerable groups
Safety in neighbourhoods o
High road accident rate in communities (school learners) o
Poor knowledge regarding road safety
Lack of proper housing
Long distances to school
Poor parental monitoring and supervision of children
Lack of opportunities
Poor levels of education o
Poor school attendance because of a lack of birth certificates and money to pay for the school fees
•
•
•
Lack of knowledge on the significance of education
Lack of skills development initiatives for out of school youths
High numbers of orphans
Prevalence of criminal gangs
•
•
•
•
High levels of violence within schools
Alcohol abuse
High levels of crime
•
Gender-based violence influenced largely by: o
Patriarchal structure of communities and families o
Cultural beliefs and practices
•
Poverty
•
HIV/AIDS
•
High number of Okahandja Park residents without identity documentation (specifically among the Damara people)
• o
Many children without birth certificates
Lack of service provision (with the exception of water) o
No street lights o
Absence of sanitation facilities
•
Stench in the area
Poor road infrastructure
•
Poor access to health services
• o
Clinic is currently 14km away from Okahandja Park
Lack of recreational opportunities and facilities
•
Poor transport safety for women and girls
•
Increasing number of child-headed households
30

THE MOST COMMON CHALLENGES CONFRONTING OKAHANDJA PARK
(RISK FACTORS FOR VIOLENCE)
•
High levels of teenage pregnancy
•
Households lack the necessary knowledge and finances to secure their homes
• o
Many households simply make use of padlocks to secure their shacks
Lack of support services for victims of crime and violence
•
Poor environmental design of the informal settlement
•
Lack of shelters for abused women and children o
Lack of after-care services for women who leave shelters
6.4
A Closer Look at Domestic Violence (DV) In Namibia
According to The Namibian a newspaper in Namibia, domestic violence is one of the major crimes of concern for police in Windhoek.
34
Empirical evidence supports this notion. Specifically, a study conducted in 1994 by the
Legal Assistance Centre and the Law Reform & Development Commission found that more than one-fifth of all violent crimes reported were related to incidents of domestic violence. This was ascertained by examining police dockets where 515 out of 2322 cases were ascribed to domestic violence.
35 Most of the victims of domestic violence in the above study were female (86%) and a significant proportion of the perpetrators were male (93%).
36
In 2001, the World Health Organisation (WHO) conducted a 10 country study (of which Namibia formed part) where they explored intimate partner violence (IPV); this study was published by the WHO in 2005. The study findings revealed that many women in Windhoek have been victims of IPV; one-third of the research participants revealed that they have been subjected to either physical or sexual domestic violence from their intimate partner in their lifetime. A fifth stated that this violence occurred in the 12 months prior to the study.
37
Even more alarmingly, 10% of the women disclosed that their intimate partner had also tried to kill them or threatened to do so.
38
In addition, of those that were subjected to IPV, 20% indicated that they were hurt on more than five separate occasions.
39
These findings attest to the serious nature of IPV in Namibia.
In 2007/2008 the Social Impact Assessment and policy analysis Corporation (Namibia) (SIAPAC) undertook a study that looked at knowledge, attitudes and practices on factors that may perpetuate or protect Namibians
34
The Namibian [Windhoek]. 23 June 2011. Jana-Mari Smith. City police have an eye on crime. Available [online] at www.allafrica.com/stories/printable/201106290159.html
. Accessed on 09 November 2012.
35
Domestic Violence Cases reported to the Namibian Police: Case characteristics and police response, Windhoek: LAC and
LRDC, 1999.
36
Ibid
37
Ministry of Health and Social Services in Windhoek, Namibia: A sub study of the WHO multi-country study on Women’s
Health and Domestic Violence, Windhoek: MoHSS, 2004.
38
Ibid
39
Ibid
31

from Violence and Discrimination.
40
This study looked at eight Namibian regions and the sample comprised of
1680 participants (both male and female).
41
Major findings were:
•
34% of participants have experienced either physical or sexual violence at the hands of their partner in their lifetime during the previous seven or eight years;
• more females (41%) than males (28%) were victims of domestic violence;
42
and
• women also experienced violence more often than men; where they were four times more likely to report sustaining injuries from IPV in the 12 month period prior to data collection.
43
Provisions have been made by the Namibian government to protect victims of DV. More specifically, the
Combating of Domestic Violence Act of 2003 state that DV consists of “physical and sexual abuse, economic abuse, emotional and psychological abuse, verbal abuse, intimidation, and harassment”.
44
This act not only applies to heterosexual couples but also family members in domestic situations.
45
It also enables the victim to apply at no cost for a protection order, award the victim “exclusive” occupation of a shared home or residence.
Also inclusive in the act, is the requirement of payment for rent for other accommodation for the victim of DV and grant custody of the victims’ children, among other things.
46
With regard to penalties faced if guilty of committing one of the 13 criminal offences specified in the Act (this consists of common assault, assault GBH, murder, rape, indecent assault, kidnapping and rape) within the domestic setting, this is dependent on the penalties usually applied to that particular offence.
47
With regard to rape, The Combating of Rape Act was implemented in 2000 and under this act rape is prohibited and penalties for rape are indicated which include sexual acts that occurred under “coercive circumstances” which refers to the use of “force, threats, or intoxication”.
48
Rape that occurs within the setting of marriage or other relationship has been specified to be prohibited.
49
The minimum sentence for rape perpetrators is five years imprisonment (this only applies if it is the offender’s first conviction, though rape that occurred under
“coercive circumstances” will lead to a 10 year minimum stint in prison.
50
Also specified under this act, is rape that has led to “grievous bodily or mental harm”, rape against a child, when rape was perpetrated by a parent or guardian; when the perpetrator knows that they have a sexually-transmitted infection, when rape was committed by two or more persons, and when a firearm or other weapon was used in the act - all of these could lead to a minimum sentence of 15 years behind bars and in instances of later convictions, 45 years imprisonment.
51
40
SIAPAC, Knowledge, attitudes and practices study on factors that may perpetuate or protect Nanibians from Violence and Discrimination: Caprivi, Erongo, Karas, Kavango, Kunene, Ohangwena, Omaheke and Otjozondjupa Regions,
Windhoek: Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare, 2008.
41
Ibid
42
Ibid
43
Ibid
44
Namibia. 2003. Combating of Domestic Violence Act. Available [online] at http:www.lac.org.na/laws/pdf/domvio.pdf.
Accessed 9 November 2012.
45
Ibid, section 3
46
Ibid, section 14
47
Ibid, Section 21, Schedule
48
Namibia, 2000, Combating of Rape Act. Available [online] at http://www.lac.org.na/laws/pdf/comrape.pdf
. Accessed 30
July 2012.
49
Ibid, Sec.2.3
50
Ibid, Sec.3.1.a
51
Ibid, Sec. 3.1.a-b.
32

A zero tolerance campaign was also launched by the government, where the president asked all citizens of the country as well as institutions to work against eradicating rates of DV.
52
This program strives to increase awareness of the problem of DV while simultaneously bringing to the fore “ways in which the public could help in addressing it”.
53
Despite laws being in place prohibiting DV and rape, once again lack of implementation results in victims not being protected or getting the support they need. In particular, Country Reports 2011 revealed that no information has been presented pertaining to the enforcement of DV law in instances not involving rape.
54
Lack of implementation and lack of awareness with regard to citizen’s legal rights have been identified as factors prohibiting victims of rape and DV to come forward and report these acts to the necessary authorities.
55
6.5
Access to Facilities in their Neighbourhoods
The general trend observed is that many people do not have access to the nine different types of community facilities asked about during this research. For eight of the facilities, 40% and above were observed with regard to no access. In particular, no access were cited for sports grounds (49.7%), a community hall (71.5%), shops or shopping malls (66.2%), a community telecentre (with computers) (86.4%), a community telecentre (without computers) (86.4%), a library (65.9%), a training college or facility (89.7%) and other skills development facility
(92.7%). A large majority of respondents (86.1%) indicated that they have access to mosques, churches and other religious facilities.
Table 6: Access to facilities in their neighbourhoods (n=302)
Facilities
Sports grounds
Community hall
Shops or shopping mall
Community telecentre (with computers)
Community telecentre (without computers)
Mosque, churches and other religious facilities
Library
Training college or facility
Any other skills development facility
Yes
50.0
27.2
33.1
11.9
11.3
86.1
32.1
8.6
5.3
No
49.7
71.5
66.2
86.4
86.4
13.6
65.9
89.7
92.7
Additional analyses have shown that all age groups surveyed reported similar percentages with regard to no access to certain facilities in the neighbourhood. Extremely high percentages were noted for the 21-30, 31-40 and 51-60 year age groups with regard to limited or no access to several facilities in the community. See Table
7 for these percentages.
52
Namibian Sun (Windhoek). 4 November 2011. NAMPOL buckling under rising crime. Available [online] at http://www/m.sun.com.na/content/nampol-buckling-under-rising-crime-0 . Accessed on 9 November 2012.
53
Ibid
54
United States (US). 24 May 2012. Department of State. Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2011. Available
[online] at http://www.state.gov/j/dr/rls/hrrpt/humanrightsreport/index.htm?dlid=186225 . Accessed 9 November 2012.
55
Misa Namibia. 30 June 2011. US assists Namibia to fight GBV. Available [online] at http://www.misanamibia.org.na/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=204:us-assists-namibia-to-fightgbv&catid=37:archive&Itemid=85 . Accessed on 9 November 2012.
33

Table 7: No access to facilities per age (%)
Sports Ground
Community Hall
Shops or shopping malls
Community telecentre (with computers)
Community telecentre (without computers)
Mosque, churches and other religious facilities
Library
Training college or facility
Any other skills development facility
18-20
45.5
65.9
95.5
93.0
77.3
72.7
79.5
81.8
13.6
21-30
41.4
61.8
87.9
94.1
68.2
34.4
86.6
87.3
11.5
31-40
57.7
76.1
90.0
91.5
73.2
63.4
90.1
88.7
18.3
6.6
Access to Substances and Weapons in the Neighbourhood
41-50 51-60
84.2 80.0
57.9
84.2
73.1
73.7
63.2
78.9
73.7
15.8
70.8
100
100
90.0
90.0
100
100
10.0
Quite alarmingly, 58.9% of respondents revealed that in their neighbourhoods access to alcohol is very easy.
Almost half (48.3%) also revealed that access to other weapons
56
such as knives is very easy. Substances and weapons that were very difficult to access in the respondents’ neighbourhoods were marijuana (33.4%), any other drugs excluding marijuana (34.8%), and firearms (44.7%). A large majority of respondents (82.2%) have never personally experimented with any drugs.
61-70
0.0
100
100
100
0.0
0.0
100
100
0.0
Table 8: Access to substances and weapons in the neighbourhood (%)
Alcohol
Marijuana
Any other drugs
Firearm
Other weapons such as knives
Very easy to access
58.9
12.6
5.3
5.0
48.3
Very difficult to access
10.3
33.4
34.8
44.7
9.3
56
Weapon(s) for the purpose of the safety audit referred to any object used to inflict harm to the victim with intent. The study did not specify which weapons nor the level of danger or harm the weapon could cause. Thus this should be interpreted with caution.
34

Gender
Male
Female
Age
18-20
21-30
31-40
41-50
51-60
61-70
6.6.1
Very Easy Access to Substances and Other Weapons in the Neighbourhood
Additional analyses were done to explore whether any gender or age differences were present in this sample.
With regard to access to substances, higher percentages were noted for females with regard to very easy access to substances and weapons except for firearms. In terms of age, it appeared that the younger age cohorts were more inclined to reveal that they had very easy access to substances (including alcohol, marijuana and other illicit drugs) and weapons in their neighbourhood than respondents from the older age cohorts. This finding is not surprising, given the fact that younger adults are more mobile in the community when compared to their older counterparts.
Table 9: Very easy access to substances and weapons in the neighbourhood by age and gender (%)
Alcohol
54.0
61.9
59.1
56.7
70.4
47.4
30.0
10.0
Marijuana
8.0
15.3
25.0
7.0
16.9
15.8
10.0
0.0
Other drugs
4.4
5.8
11.4
3.2
4.2
10.5
10.0
0.0
Firearm
6.2
4.2
9.1
1.9
8.5
10.5
0.0
0.0
Other weapons
47.8
48.7
38.6
45.9
54.9
57.9
70.0
0.0
35

SUMMARY OF KEY FINDINGS
•
•
Overall, 92.7% of the sample had ever attended school.
Slightly more males (95.6%) than females (91.0%) reportedly received some form of formal education.
•
Of those who had ever attended school, 23.6% had completed high school. Significantly more females (52.9%) than males (13.9%) had accomplished this in this sample.
•
For those who were unable to complete their education, the main reason for not completing or attending school was a lack of finances to afford the costs associated with schooling (44%), followed by having failed a grade (19.5%), an unplanned pregnancy (7.9%), having to work for the family (4.3%), and 3.6% did not have money for school resources.
•
Most people in this study were never victimised while at school, nor any children currently living in their households.
•
For those who had experienced any type of violence while at school, this was mainly physical, such as being hit by someone, being pushed or shoved by someone, and being forced to do something that they felt was wrong and did not want to do.
•
With regard to employment levels, nearly a third (32%) of those interviewed was unemployed at the time of the interview.
•
More females (37.5%) than males (23.0%) are currently jobless but seeking employment.
In this section, information relating to education and employment will be provided. More specifically, data on school attendance, level of education, and victimisation at school will be discussed. With regard to employment, the current employment status of the respondents will be presented.
Image 4: A school in Okahandja Park
7.1
School Attendance and Level of Education
The majority of adults surveyed have attended formal schooling (92.7%). Only 7.3% have never received formal schooling. More males (95.6%; n=108) than females (91.0%; n=172) have ever attended school in their lives.
Figure 5 indicates that half of the adults surveyed (50.0%) have obtained some form of secondary schooling.
36

Almost a quarter of respondents (23.6%) have completed high school, while 18.2% have completed their primary schooling. Almost a tenth (8.2%) of respondents had only received some primary school education.
Namibia’s fourth National Development Plan (NDP4) demonstrates that the number of students in the country who are completing their secondary education is insufficient.
57
These poor numbers have been attributed to various challenges associated with Namibia’s education system including, a lack of space at upper secondary level, failing to achieve a Grade 10 pass, poor quality education at the primary levels, as well as a lack of infrastructure and information and communication technology (ICT).
58
Despite strides having been achieved in educational reform since 1990, these have been limited. The new National Development Plan now outlines several activities aimed at addressing these challenges and ensuring that “Namibia is characterised by a highquality and internationally recognised education system that capacitates the population to meet current and future market demands for skills and innovations.”
59
Figure 5: Highest level of schooling attained (n=280)
Completed High school 23.6
Some High school 50
Completed Primary school 18.2
Some Primary school 8.2
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
In terms of post-school qualification, 7.7% of respondents have obtained an undergraduate degree and a large proportion indicated (52.3%) that they are in possession of a post-school certificate. For those respondents who did not attend or complete their schooling, they were asked whether they received any other form of skills training. Only 27.1% of respondents said yes. The most identified form of skills training was trade skills such as carpentry, panel work etc. (15.8%), followed by nursing or home based care (14%) and fitting or sewing (14%).
Computer literacy was mentioned by 12.3% of respondents.
In terms of level of schooling and gender, differences were observed for both groups. In particular, more males
(10.2%) than females (7.0%) reported that they had some primary schooling. In addition, more males (30.6%) than females (19.2) completed high school. Females reported higher percentages for completing primary schooling (20.9%) when compared to males (13.9%). Furthermore, more females completed some high school
(52.9%) as opposed to males (13.9%).
57
Republic of Namibia: Namibia’s Fourth National Development Plan – NDP4 2012/13 – 2016/17. Windhoek, May 2012.
58
Ibid.
59
Ibid, pg.67.
37

Table 10: Highest level of schooling attained, per gender (%)
Some Primary school (n=23)
Completed Primary school (n=51)
Some High School (n=140)
Completed High School (n=66)
Gender
Male
Female
Male
Female
Male
Female
Male
Female
%
10.2
7.0
13.9
20.9
45.4
52.9
30.6
19.2
7.2
Reasons for Not Attending or Completing School
Reasons for not attending or completing school were largely attributed to financial reasons. More specifically,
44.0% stated not being able to afford school fees, 4.3% had to work for money for the family, and 3.6% did not have money for school resources (books etc.). Other reasons for not being able to attend or complete school were having failed a grade (19.5%), unplanned pregnancies (7.9%) and not liking school (3.6%).
Figure 6: Reasons for not attending or completing their schooling (n=275)
Had to work for money for the family
Did not like school
No money for school
Fell pregnant
Failed a grade
Could not afford the school fees
4.3
3.6
3.6
7.9
19.5
0 10 20 30 40
44.0
50
7.3
Victimisation Levels at School
Given the increasing levels of school violence in Namibia, violence within schools was an important content area to be explored by this safety audit. According to the data collected, the majority of respondents were never victimised while at school. However, acts of violence occurred for some respondents while at school. Of the seven types of violence at school explored, being pushed or shoved by someone at school and having someone say something about them that made other students laugh were the most commonly reported types
38

of violence at school affecting these households; more than half of the sample responded positively when asked whether they had ever experienced any of these two acts.
60
The types of violence that were least likely to be experienced were being injured with a weapon while on school premises and being threatened with physical injury on school premises – with more than two thirds of the respondents indicating that these acts had never befallen them or any of the school-going children in their household. Being hit by someone (17.6%), being pushed or shoved by someone (17.6%) and being forced to do something that they felt was wrong and did not want to do (17.6%) had reportedly occurred once or twice by nearly a fifth of households surveyed. One in eight respondents had been hit by someone at school (13.5%) three to five times, while nearly a tenth of respondents were yelled at or called mean names (8.6%), and had someone say things about them that made other students laugh (8.1%) three to five times.
Overall, verbal abuse seemed to be more frequently occurring physical abuse within the school environments.
The data showed that 16.2% had someone say things about them that made other students laugh and 9.0% had been yelled at or called mean names at school 20 or more times.
Table 11: Victimisation at school, (n=222)
Act Never 1-2 times
17.6
17.6
3-5 times
13.5
14.0
6-9 times
5.0
5.0
10-19 times
1.8
2.7
20 or more times
3.2
5.0
Been hit by someone at school
Been pushed or shoved by someone at school
Been yelled at or called mean names by someone at school
Someone at school threatened to hit or physically harm you
Been injured by someone with a weapon at school
Been forced to do something that you felt was wrong and did not want to do
Had someone say things about you that made other students laugh
53.6
49.5
52.7
69.4
75.2
63.5
47.3
16.2
13.5
14.9
17.6
13.1
8.6
4.5
2.7
5.4
8.1
4.1
2.3
.5
2.7
7.7
1.8
2.3
.5
.5
2.7
9.0
1.8
.5
4.1
16.2
60
In this safety audit, adults were asked about children’s perceptions of violence in schools; however CJCP conducted a schools violence study in Namibia in 2009 which provides more comprehensive data of experiences of violence at school.
This information is discussed in the textbox below.
39

SCHOOLS VIOLENCE STUDY NAMIBIA 2009, KEY FINDINGS
This study was conducted in 2009 and forms part of a three-country study that examined the impact of violence on access to education in Namibia, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and
Mozambique. The sample comprised of 381 youths ranging from 12 to 19 years old. Data was collected in four predominantly rural regions north of Namibia, specifically in Omusati, Oshana,
Ohangwena and Oshikoto.
The findings demonstrated that children and youth are victims of violence as well as exposed to violence in the home, at school, and in their community. With regard to violence experienced at school: 22.6% were verbally teased, insulted or intimidated at school, 18.8% were hit, kicked or punched while at school, 17.3% were scared and threatened with harm at school, 11.6% were forced to do something that they felt were wrong, and 5.7% were forced to do things with their body against their will. For the most part, violence was perpetrated by classmates or other learners, however teachers were also found to be perpetrating violence against children and youth - where 72.6% indicated that corporal punishment occurred at school.
Source: Leoschut, L., Popovac, M & Burton, P. (2011). Protecting the flame: Overcoming violence as a barrier to education in Namibia. Cape Town: Centre for Justice and Crime Prevention
7.4
Employment Status
High levels of unemployment were identified in the previous section as being one of the most pressing concerns for many respondents in their neighbourhoods. The findings have also shown that this social ill is plaguing many, where 32.0% currently find themselves unemployed but seeking work. In 2001, astonishingly
59.0% of persons in Windhoek were unemployed and 19.0% were classified as being economically inactive.
61
Full-time employment was reported by 21.5% of respondents and part- time employment by 9.1% of adults surveyed. Being a full- time student was cited by 10.8% of respondents, being a housewife by 6.7% and 6.4% of respondents were unemployed but not seeking work. Please refer to figure 7 for additional categories regarrding employment status More males (36.3%, n=41) than females (12.5%, n=23) are employed on a fulltime basis. These findings are relatively consistent with statistics, where more males (67.0%) than females
(51.0%) are employed in Windhoek.
62
More females (37.5%, n=69) are unemployed but seeking work when compared to males (23.0%, n=26).
According to the NDP4, one of the most important identified gaps in Namibia’s education system is the incompatibility between the skills required in the country, and the skills supplied.
63
This scenario has only been worsened by the public perception that vocational and technical training is a sub-standard alternative to a more academic tertiary education.
64
Increasing access to vocational and technical institutions has been a key focal point in the previous national development plan (NDP3). Notwithstanding this, quality remains a concern and there continues to be a shortage of centres in the country.
65
61
City of Windhoek, 2001, Useful statistics. Windhoek
62
Ibid
63
Republic of Namibia, Namibia’s Fourth National Development Plan, op cit.
64
Ibid.
65
Ibid.
40

Figure 7: Current employment status, % (n=297)
Unemployed
Temporary/seasonal labour
Retired/pensioner
Unemployed but not seeking work
Housewife
Part- time employed
Self- employed
Full-time scholar/student
Full-time employed
Unemployed, seeking work
0
1
1.3
1.7
5
6.4
6.7
9.1
9.4
10.8
21.5
10 15 20 25 30
32
35
41

SUMMARY OF KEY FINDINGS
•
Children (46.5%) and women (38.4%) were viewed as most vulnerable in terms of safety.
•
As the time of the day changes, so do perceptions of safety; with personal feelings of safety declining dramatically after dark.
•
Nearly a third (32.2%) of the sample had never feared crime in the past year.
•
A total of 32.3% have ever been fearful for the safety of their children in the 12 months prior to the study.
•
More females (25.5%) than males (16.8%) have on several occasions feared crime in their home.
•
Females (33.0%) have also feared crime more often in their neighbourhood than males (25.7%).
•
Taxis (71.9%) are the most common form of transport used by residents. However, it was perceived to be fairly unsafe (39.7%) by two-fifths of the respondents.
•
For this reason, improving transport safety was important for many residents interviewed.
Transport safety can be significantly improved by making stations/bus stations/taxi ranks safer
(37.2%), employing more security/police at places of public transportation (15.1%) and using CCTV on places of public transport (14.4%).
A description of the adults’ perceptions of safety is provided in this section. Included here are perceptions of safety with regard to vulnerable groups, safety in certain areas and at certain times during the day, perceptions of safety at home and in the neighbourhood, as well as of transport safety in the respondents’ residential areas.
8.1
Perceptions of Safety With Regard to Vulnerable Groups
The findings with regard to perceptions of safety of vulnerable groups were quite varied. Children and women were identified as the most vulnerable groups in the respondents’ neighbourhoods. One in every two residents interviewed felt that children and women were not safe (40.5% and 38.4% respectively) or not safe at all
(14.6% and 20.5% respectively) in Okahandja Park. Interestingly, more than a third of the sample did feel that women (36.4%) and children (42.2%) were in fact safe in their community. The elderly and people with disabilities were also viewed as vulnerable in Okahandja Park. Two out of every five residents asserted that these groups were unsafe in Okahandja Park. See Table 12 for these exact percentages.
Table 12: Perceptions of safety with regard to vulnerable groups (%)
Women (n=302)
Children (n=301)
People with physical and other disabilities (n=298)
Elderly (n=297)
Safe
36.4
42.2
37.6
40.7
Very safe
2.3
2.0
1.7
2.4
Not safe
38.4
40.5
32.6
33.0
Not safe at all
20.5
14.6
12.1
14.5
42

8.2
Perceptions of Safety around Certain Areas
In order to explore perceptions of safety more extensively, additional questions were asked that specifically looked at how safe residents felt in particular places in their community as well as at different times during the day. Overall, the findings indicated that respondents feel safe in many places. However, these feelings are mainly contingent on what time of the day it is. In particular, nearly two-thirds of respondents (64.2%) revealed that they feel safe at home during the day, while 18.9% feel very safe at home during the day. Similar views were reported for feeling safe (55.1%) or very safe (35.4%) at public places of worship during the day.
Respondents appeared to feel less safe in public or community recreational places during the day (49.5%), commercial or retail places during the day (45.3%) and places of public transportation during the day (47.7%) – with less than half of the sample reporting feeling safe in these spaces during the day.
Table 13: How safe do you generally feel at…
At home during the day (n=302)
At home after dark (n=302)
On the streets during the day (n=302)
On the streets after dark (n=302)
In public or community recreational places (parks, halls, libraries, sports field etc) during the day (n=276)
In public or community recreational places (parks, halls, libraries, sports field etc) after dark (n=277)
In public places of worship during the day (such as churches or mosques) (n=285)
In public places of worship (such as churches or mosques) after dark (n=284)
At commercial or retail places during the day (such as shops, shopping centres) (n=258)
At commercial or retail places after dark (such as shops, shopping centres) (n=258)
At places of public transportation during the day (such as bus stops, taxi ranks or taxi stations) (n=279)
At places of public transportation after dark (such as bus stops, taxi ranks or train stations) (n=278)
Safe
64.2
37.1
44.4
7.0
49.5
15.2
55.1
43.7
45.3
8.5
47.7
11.5
Very safe
18.9
2.6
6.3
1.3
5.8
1.4
35.4
14.8
5.4
2.3
3.6
1.1
Not safe Not safe
15.2
39.1
44.7
46.4
32.1
48.6
7.7
31.7
43.8
41.9
41.6
43.9 at all
1.7
20.9
3.0
43.4
3.3
23.8
0.0
5.6
5.0
45.7
6.8
42.4
On the other hand, as expected, people’s perceptions of how safe they are in places change depending on how late it is in the day. Perceptions of personal safety at home seemed to decline from 83.1% during the day to only 39.7% at night. Feelings of safety at places of public worship also seemed to diminish significantly; from
90.5% during the day to 58.5% at night. So too, did perceptions of safety decline for most open public spaces in the community at night time. At night, respondents felt most unsafe at public commercial or retail places as well as places of public transportation. See Table 13 for these percentages.
With regard to gender, slightly more females (16.4%) reported not feeling safe at home during the day than males (13.3). However, the opposite occurred with regard to not feeling safe at home after dark, where more males (46.0%) than females (34.9%) indicated this.
43

Males (55.8%) also revealed that they felt more unsafe than females (40.7%) on the streets after dark. Not feeling safe in places of worship after dark was mentioned by more males
(35.8%) than females (29.1%). Higher percentages of not feeling safe at commercial or retail places after dark were noted for males (52.8%) than females (45.6%). However, it is not
Image 5: Example of public transportation surprising that greater percentages of not feeling safe at all were noted by females. More specifically, not feeling safe at all on the streets after dark was noted more for females (48.1%) than for males (35.4%). The data indicate that commercial or retail places are more feared by females than males irrespective of what time in the day it is. In particular, not feeling safe at the aforementioned place during the day was reported by more females (50.3%) than males (32.3%). Furthermore, more females
(50.9%) than males (36.6%) cited that they did not feel safe at all at commercial or retail places after dark.
Refer to Table 14.
For the most part, no significant age differences were noted with regard to perceptions of feeling unsafe around certain areas and at certain times of the day.
Table 14: Perceptions of safety, by gender (%)
Place and time Male
Not safe Not safe
13.3 at all
1.8
Female
Not safe Not safe at all
16.4 1.6 At home during the day
At home after dark
On the streets during the day
On the streets after dark
In public or community recreational places during the day
In public or community recreational places after dark
46.0
45.1
35.4
32.4
14.2
1.8
35.4
4.6
34.9
44.4
40.7
32.1
24.9
3.7
48.1
2.4
In public places of worship during the day
In public places of worship after dark
At commercial or retail places during the day
At commercial or retail places after dark
At places of public transportation during the day
At places of public transportation after dark
52.8
8.3
35.8
32.3
47.3
42.3
47.6
22.2
0.0
5.5
3.2
36.6
4.8
39.8
45.6
7.4
29.1
50.3
38.8
41.1
41.7
6.1
50.9
8.0
44.0
24.9
0.0
5.7
44

8.3
Perceptions of Safety in the Home and Neighbourhood
Overall, many respondents have never in the past twelve months feared crime in their home (32.2%), neighbourhood (25.6%) as they travelled on public transport in their neighbourhood (22.7%) or for the safety of their children (18.4%). On the other hand, fearing crime in the home (22.3%) and neighbourhood (30.2%) and while using public transport (33.3%) have occurred several times for some respondents. Worryingly, 32.3% of respondents have feared for the safety of their children in the past year all the time; again attesting to the vulnerability of children in Okahandja Park.
Table 15: In the past 12 months how often have you…
Never Once or twice
Feared crime in your home (n=301) 32.2
Feared crime in your neighbourhood (n=301) 25.6
Feared crime as you travelled on public 22.7 transport in your neighbourhood (n=300)
Feared for the safety of your children (n=217) 18.4
21.9
19.6
22.7
13.8
Several times
22.3
30.2
33.3
18.4
Many times
8.3
12.3
9.7
17.1
All the time
15.3
12.3
11.7
32.3
Additional analyses were run to ascertain whether any gender differences were present. More females
(25.5%) than males (16.8%) have indicated that they have feared crime in their homes several times. Fearing crime in the neighbourhood on several occasions was also reported by more females (33.0%) than males
(25.7%). Fearing for the safety of one’s children was more often the experience of females (21.4%) than their male counterparts (12.5%). See Table 16. In terms of age, no significant differences were noted.
Table 16: Perceptions of fear in the home and community (only on several occasions), per gender
Feared crime in your home
Feared crime in your neighbourhood
Feared crime as you travelled on public transport in your neighbourhood
Feared for the safety of your children
Males
16.8
25.7
34.5
12.5
Females
25.5
33.0
32.6
21.4
8.4
Transport safety in the Okahandja Park
Taxis (71.9%) were identified as the most common mode of transport used by many respondents in the
Okahandja Park. Despite the abovementioned, taxis are perceived by the majority of respondents as being fairly unsafe (39.7%) or very unsafe (8.1%). With regard to using buses as a mode of transport only 6.3% stated that they usually use that form of public transportation. A total of 41.6% of the sample reported that buses are fairly safe in their neighbourhood. Only 11.1% felt that buses were very unsafe.
Respondents were asked what they thought could be done to improve the overall levels of transport safety within their community. In response to this question, the majority of residents highlighted the need for safer taxi ranks and bus stations (37.2%), while others pointed toward the need for an increased police visibility at these places of public transportation (15.1%) and also making use of CCTV cameras as a safety precaution at places of public transportation in Okahandja Park (14.4%).
45

SUMMARY OF KEY FINDINGS
•
Most (85.8%) of these respondents had never witnessed acts of violence between family members in their homes.
•
Where incidents of violence did occur, other relatives were typically identified as both the victims
(26.8%) and perpetrators (28.6%).
•
Weapons were typically not used in these attacks. Where they were used, knives were often the weapon of choice (47.1%).
•
•
Alcohol was implicated in 62.8% of these violent acts occurring within homes.
Exposure to violence outside of the home was more common however; with 78.1% of the sample indicating having ever witnessed people in their community intentionally hurting one another.
•
Exposure to community violence seemed to be common among more males (79.6%) than females
(77.2%) and those between the ages of 21 and 30 years (78.3%).
In this section, the findings as it relates to exposure to violence is analysed and presented. Inherent in this section are statistics that speak to exposure to violence witnessed in the home and outside of the home; the most commonly identified victims and perpetrators of crime in the home, and attitudes to family in relation to violence.
9.1
Exposure to Family and Community Violence
Respondents were asked to indicate whether they had ever witnessed any person in their household hurt another member of their household on purpose. Encouragingly, the majority of the respondents (85.8%) have never witnessed this. However, 14.2% have witnessed violence in the home. These findings are relatively consistent with the schools violence study conducted in Namibia in 2009 (first mentioned in a previous section) where one in ten of the youth (12.4%) surveyed indicated that they witnessed a family member intentionally hurt another member of their family.
66
No gender differences were observed with regard to exposure to violence in the home.
The opposite occurred with regard to witnessed violence outside of the home, where 78.1% revealed that they have seen someone being hurt by another person. A total of 21.9% have never witnessed violence in their community. Once again these rates of violence are higher than those reported in the School Violence study, where one in two youth (51.7%) surveyed revealed that they have witnessed violence outside of their home.
67
Gender differences were observed; with slightly more males (79.6%) than females (77.2%) revealing that they have witnessed someone being hurt outside of their home.
With regard to age, it appears that all age groups have witnessed someone being hurt by someone else outside of their home. More specifically, percentages of 70 and above were noted for all age groups. See Table 17 for exact percentages.
66
Leoschut, L., Popovac, M., & Burton, P, 2011. Protecting the Flame: Overcoming violence as a barrier to education in
Namibia. Monograph Series , No 8. Cape Town: Centre for Justice and Crime Prevention.
67
Ibid
46

Table 17: Exposure to community violence, by age
Age group
18-20
21-30
31-40
41-50
51-60
61-70
9.1.1
Victims and Perpetrators of Violence in the Home
%
79.5
78.3
77.5
78.9
70.0
100.0
Interestingly, similar people were identified as both the victims and perpetrators of violence for most of the incidents of violence witnessed within the home. In particular, other relatives (excluding parents, spouses, siblings and children) were mentioned by 26.8% of respondents as being the victims of violence and 28.6% stated that other relatives were responsible for the perpetration of violence witnessed in their homes. Siblings were cited as the victims for 24.4% and the perpetrators for 21.4% of family violence cases reported.
Neighbours were indicated as the victims of violence by 14.6% and as the perpetrators for 16.7% of these cases.
Although weapons were not used in 60.5% of these cases, 39.5% of these incidents did involve the use of a weapon. In cases where weapons were used, knives (47.1%) were often the weapon of choice. Nearly half
(46.5%) of victims sustained injuries that required medical treatment after the attack. This speaks to the severity of their injuries, once again emphasising the seriousness and violent nature of crime and how this is prominent for some of the respondents surveyed. Throughout this report, the prevalence of alcohol abuse or substance abuse and its harmful social effects have been consistently documented. Once again, alcohol abuse or substance abuse features here. A total of 62.8% have revealed that the perpetrators in these domestic acts witnessed were under the influence of alcohol or drugs when the violent acts occurred within their homes.
Alcohol and drugs also contributed towards incidents of violence in the home for youth surveyed in the school violence study in 2009; however rates reported in that study was significantly less than reported in this audit
(only 31.3% as opposed to 62.8%).
68
Table 18: Victims and perpetrators with regard to family assaults witnessed
Victim (n=41) (%)
Other relative 26.8
Perpetrator (n=42) (%)
Other relative 28.6
Sibling(s) 24.4
Neighbour 14.6
Sibling(s) 21.4
Neighbour 16.7
9.2
Attitudes toward the Family in Relation to Violence
Table 19 shows that the majority of adults surveyed (55.8%) felt that arguments were infrequent in their family. In addition, 46.8% cited that they felt that people in their family look out for each other. Violence
68
Ibid
47

occurring while having heated arguments is not very common for people in this sample (22.8%). At times
(19.5%), fights and arguments are influenced by the use of alcohol and or drugs.
Table 19: Attitudes towards respondent’s families (%)
Agree Disagree
45.8 15.6
Statement
People in my family look out for one another (n=301)
People in my family argue a lot (n=301)
People in my family sometimes hit each other when they become angry (n=298)
Fights and arguments in my family are often influenced by the use of alcohol and drugs
(n=298)
31.9
22.8
19.5
55.8
60.4
56.4
48

SUMMARY OF KEY FINDINGS
•
A total of 59.3% of the sample had ever been affected by any crime.
•
More males (61.9%) than females (57.7%) had reportedly been criminally victimised.
•
Out of the 11 crimes that were explored, 10 crimes where perpetrated in the last year
•
For six out of the eleven crimes, the victims mainly comprised of the respondents themselves, while other members of the household were also affected by crime.
•
For all the crimes discussed, the perpetrators were largely unknown to the victim.
•
More than half (52.0%) of these crimes were reported, primarily to the police (77.2%), family
(8.7%) and traditional authority or chief (5.4%).
•
Those who did not report their crimes to anyone reported not doing so because they felt it was unnecessary to do so, was not important, and did not know who the perpetrator was.
•
Counselling and other support services were rarely utilised after experiencing crime (66.7%).
•
This was primarily due to thinking it was not necessary to do so (42.3%).
•
In most cases (70.2%) respondents noticed that their behavioural patterns had changed following their criminal experience. Of these, 44.9% became more careful, 14.1% became more aggressive and 7.7% observed changes in their usual sleeping patterns.
In this section, data pertaining to the respondents’ experiences of violence will be discussed. This section is divided into two parts: Firstly, an account of overall victimisation, which will also touch on reporting of the crimes experienced, access to any support or counselling services and behaviour changes due to experiences of crime. Secondly, a more detailed exploration into the nature of specific crimes experienced such as assault, robbery, home burglary, theft of vehicle or bicycle, high-jacking of a vehicle or bicycle, sexual assault/rape, deliberate damage to property, murder, stock-theft and theft of personal property.
10.1
Experiences of Any Crime
More than half of the adults surveyed (59.3%) revealed that they had experienced any crime ever in their lives.
A total of 40.7% of respondents had never experienced any crime. More males (61.9%) than females (57.7%) have fallen victim to crime in their lives. The majority of the victims of crime were in the age categories 18-20
(65.9%) and 51-60 years (70%). The findings indicated that much of these crimes occurred in the past 12 months (59.8%) while 40.7% had occurred more than 12 months earlier. Crimes occurred primarily in the home
(44.4%), in the street (25.3%) and in and around shops (8.4%).
49

Table 20: Experiences of any crime, by gender and age group (%)
Male
Female
18-20
21-30
31-40
41-50
51-60
61-70
Yes
Gender
61.9
57.7
Age
65.9
55.4
62.0
63.2
70.0
.0
No
38.1
42.3
34.1
44.6
38.0
36.8
30.0
100
Victims comprised mainly of the respondent (59.2%), other relatives (17.9%) and entire households (11.2%).
The perpetrators were primarily unknown to the victim, such as an unknown member of the community
(41.6%), and other person from outside the community (15.2%). However, in other instances (18.5%) the perpetrators were some member of the community who was known to the victim.
Table 21: Location of any crime (n=170)
Location
At home
At school
In the street
Open field/space
In and around shops
Public transport places
Entertainment area
%
44.4
5.1
25.3
6.7
8.4
3.4
5.6
Being a victim of crime can contribute to one’s sense of how safe you are in your neighbourhood. More specifically, for 36.3% of respondents (n=65) that had ever been a victim of crime had also in the past year feared crime in their neighbourhood.
10.1.1
Reporting of the Crimes Experienced
More than half of respondents (52.0%) that had ever experienced any crime either personally or through someone else in their household have reported the crime to another person. On the other hand, 48.0% did not report the crime to anyone. Crimes were mainly reported to the police (77.2%), family members (8.7%) and a traditional authority e.g. chief (5.4%). In cases where crimes were not reported to anyone, reasons for this included feeling that it was not necessary (3.0%), that it was unimportant (2.0%) and not knowing who the perpetrator was (2.6%).
50

10.1.2
Access to Any Support or Counselling Services
Two out of every three crime victims (66.7%) did not access any support or counselling services after the crime.
However, 31.0% did receive some support and counselling services. Reasons for not accessing these services were largely attributed to not thinking that it was necessary (42.3%). This finding suggests that many respondents may not be aware of the importance of receiving support of a psychological nature in order to come to terms with what has happened to them.
Philippi Trust Namibia was founded in 1996 by its current Director, Ms Marianne Olivier. The organisation was registered as a Welfare Organisation No 168 with the Ministry of Health and Social
Services in August 1999 and in November 2004 as Trust 353/04. Philippi Trust Namibia is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation that strives to provide a professional level of counselling and training to the Church and community in Namibia. Through the provision of couselling and counsellling training, the organisation aims to give the people of Namibia all the psycho-social resources they require, to make healthy and informed choices which will enable them to determine their own destiny in a selfreliant manner. The services available from Philippi include:
•
HIV Counselling
•
Psycho-social support o
Psycho-social programme for orphans and vulnerable children
The overall aim of the project is to increase the well-being of orphans and vulnerable children, and to build the capacity of communities to care for orphans and vulnerable children through the use of youth volunteers.
o
Experiential learning camps
The aim of these camps is to enhance children’s coping skills in dealing with challenging and stressful life situations. o
The Kids Clubs/Youth Clubs
The Kids Clubs provide ongoing support for the children who have completed the
Experiential learning camps. Here they are taught life skills and can experience further growth and development.
•
Counselling Training courses offered
Philippi Trust Namibia, information@philippinamibia.com
. 061 259 291
The second most common reason for not accessing counseling or other similar support post-victimisation was not knowing where to go (29.8%). This finding suggest that key stakeholders with regard to safety should aim to make people more aware of where to access support and counselling services should they ever need it. Of those who accessed support or counselling services, 24.5% were very satisfied, and 49.1% were fairly satisfied with the assistance received. On the other hand, some respondents were displeased with these services;
18.9% revealed that they were fairly dissatisfied and 5.7% cited that they were very dissatisfied with the service provided to them. The audit did not request participants to substantiate why they were dissatisfied with the counselling support.
51

10.1.3
Behaviour Changes Due to Experiencing Crime
Some form of behavioural change occurred for 70.2% of the adults surveyed after experiencing crime. The remaining percentage (28.1%) reported not noticing any changes in their behaviour after the crime. The three most frequently identified behavioural changes were becoming more careful (44.9%), becoming more aggressive (14.1%) and not sleeping or sleeping less (7.7%).
Table 22: Behaviour changes due to experiencing crime (n=119)
Behaviour change
Do not sleep/sleep less
Cannot concentrate at school
Become more aggressive
Do not speak to other people
Have lost my appetite
Changed my friends
Become more careful
Do not go out alone anymore
Do not go out at all anymore
%
7.7
2.6
14.1
1.9
0.6
5.1
44.9
5.8
1.9
10.2
Experiences of Specific Crimes
10.2.1
Assault
With regard to assault, 76.2% have never been assaulted in their lives. Conversely 23.8% had experienced this form of crime. No significant gender differences were noted. The majority (59.7%) of respondents experienced assault in the past year and for 36.1% this took place in their homes. For 34.7% assault occurred in the street.
Victims were primarily respondents themselves (63.9%), while other relatives living in their household were identified as victims in 20.8% of the assaults reported.
Perpetrators were mostly unknown to the victim. More specifically, 30.6% of the respondents stated that the perpetrator was an unknown member of the community. Contrary to this, 23.6% recalled that the person guilty of assaulting them was a known member of their community.
Table 23: Location of assault (n=79)
Location
At home
At school
In the street
Open field/space
In and around shops
Entertainment area
%
36.1
6.9
34.7
4.2
5.6
9.7
Of those respondents who have ever experienced assault in their lives, 29.5% (n=13) were between the ages of
18-20 years old. The findings indicated a link between witnessing family assault and being a victim of assault. In other words, those who had been exposed to assault in their household were more likely to have been physically assaulted themselves. The number of assaults reported here is also indicative of the extent of family violence experienced in Windhoek.
52

With regard to assault with the intent to do grievous bodily harm (GBH), statistics from the Windhoek City
Police for Zone 1 (Okahandja Park) has shown slight decreases and increases for the weeks of the 1 st
to the 7 th of August 2011, the 12 th
- 18 th
September 2011 and the 21 st
-27 th
November 2011.
69
More specifically, for the
1 st
-7 th
of August 2011, reported cases of assault GBH were 3.2% (14 cases). In the week of the 12 th
to the 18 th
September 2011 a decrease was observed where only nine cases were reported (1.8%). However, more recent statistics taken from the 21 st
-27 th of November 2011 have indicated a slight increase in assault GBH, with 11 reported cases (3.1%).
70
10.2.2
Robbery
Almost two-thirds of respondents (73.8%) have never been a victim of robbery. On the other hand, 26.2% have experienced this form of violence. Slight gender differences were noted, where more males (27.4%) than females (25.4%) had ever been robbed. For the large majority of respondents, robbery had occurred in the past
12 months (68.4%). The most frequently cited places where robbery occurred were at home (24.1%), in and around shops (22.8%) and in the street (20.3%). Victims were mainly the respondent (59.5%) and other relatives (21.5%) and between the ages of 18-20 (31.8%) and 51-60 years (40.0%). Perpetrators largely were unknown members from the community (53.2%) and other persons from outside the community (21.5%).
Recent police statistics have shown the incidence of robbery in Okahandja Park. In particular for the 1 st
of
August to the 7 th
of August 2011, five cases were reported (1.1%).
71
A slight increase was observed in the weeks of the 12 th
to the 18 th
of September 2011 (from 1.1% to 1.2%) from five reported cases to six cases.
72
For the week of the 21 st
to the 27 th
of November 2012 a decrease was observed from five cases to thee cases (1.2% to
.8%).
73
Table 24: Location of robbery (n=79)
Location
At home
At school
In the street
Open field/space
In and around shops
Public transport places
Entertainment area
At ATM
%
24.1
5.1
20.3
13.9
22.8
5.1
3.8
2.5
10.2.3
Home Burglary
A significant proportion of respondents (81.8%) have never been victims of home burglary, however, 18.2% of respondents were not so fortunate. With regard to the findings of those subjected to home burglary, 61.8% experienced this in the last year. Victims in these instances were the entire household (52.7%) and the respondent themselves (34.0%). Perpetrators were largely unknown to the victim where half of the respondents (50.0%) revealed that the perpetrator was an unknown member from the community and other
69
All police statistics utilised in this section are Windhoek City Police crime statistics for Zone 1 (Okahandja Park) for the weeks of 1-7 August 2011, 12-18 September 2011 and 21-27 November 2012, unless otherwise specified
70
Windhoek City police crime statistics
71
Ibid
72
Ibid
73
Ibid
53

persons from outside the community (13.5%). On the other hand, for 21.2% of respondents the perpetrator was a known member from the community.
Recent police statistics show that for the week of the 1 st
to the 7 th
of August 2011, six cases (1.4%) of housebreaking were reported in Okahandja Park.
74
However, an increase occurred in the following month where 12 cases were reported (2.4%) in the week of the 12 th
to the 18 th
of September.
75
For the week of the
21 st
to the 27 th
of November 2011 a slight decrease occurred (from 12 to 10 cases).
76
10.2.4
Theft of a Vehicle or Bicycle
Only 3% of the sample reported ever having a vehicle or bicycle stolen. More than half (55.6%) of these crimes had occurred in the past 12 months. This crime mainly occurred at home (55.6%) and in and around shops
(22.2%). Victims comprised largely of other relatives (66.7%), parents (11.1%), sibling(s) (11.1%) and the entire household (11.1%). Unknown member/s from the community (66.7%) and other person from outside the community (22.2%) were primarily implicated as the perpetrators of this crime.
With regard to cases of theft, 11 cases (2.5%) were reported in Okahandja Park for the 1 st
to the 7 th
of August
2011.
77
For the time period of the 12 th
to 18 th
of September 2011, rates of theft slightly increased from 11 reported cases to 12 cases (2.4%).
78
No change was observed in rates of theft for the week of the 21 st
to 27 th
of
November 2011 in Okahandja Park.
79
Table 25: Location of theft of a vehicle or bicycle (n=9)
Location
At home
At school
In and around shops
Public transport places
%
55.6
11.1
22.2
11.1
10.2.5
High-jacking of a Vehicle or Bicycle
Although 98.3% of participants had never experienced a hijacking, 1.7% of the sample had. For 40.0% of victims, this had occurred in the past 12 months. Respondents were for the large part victims of this crime
(60.0%) which mainly occurred in the street (60.0%). Similar to trends observed with other crimes, perpetrators were primarily unknown members from the community (60.0%). Other perpetrators included friends (16.7%), other persons from outside the community (20.0%) and gang members (20.0%).
Table 26: Location of high-jacking of a vehicle or bicycle (n=5)
Location
In the street
In and around shops
Public transport places
%
60.0
20.0
20.0
74
Ibid
75
Ibid
76
Ibid
77
Ibid
78
Ibid
79
ibid
54

10.2.6
Sexual Assault/Rape
Although the overwhelming majority (96.3%) of respondents had never been sexually assaulted or raped, 3.7% of households in this study had been affected by this crime. Police statistics have shown that in the Windhoek region, four cases were recorded in the first three weeks of November 2011.
80
Women and Child Protection Unit (WCPU)
The Women and Child Protection Unit (WCPU) was established by the Namibian Police (NAMPOL) with the aim of providing specialised services to female and young (male and female) victims of crime. The crimes addressed by this unit include rape, sodomy, indecent assault, and assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm. Additionally, crimes that contravene section 18(l) of the Children’s Act 33 of
1960 – such as abuse, neglect, abandonment, abduction of children, childstealing and incest, and repeat domestic violence offences – are also covered. At the WCPU, victims receive:
•
Police protection;
•
A sympathetic ear;
•
Temporary shelter;
•
Counselling and referrals to other agencies if necessary;
•
Assistance with the arresting and prosecution of perpetrators; and
•
Advice on general enquiries on child maintenance, problems relating to substance abuse, domestic problems and any other problems concerning or involving children.
These services are available 24 hours a day; two officers are always on stand-by. The unit consists of a fully equipped medical examination room with a doctor on call. While the unit is not equipped with overnight facilities, they do however refer victims to shelters as well as provide transport to the shelter. All services provided by the WCPU are free.
Additional Services provided by the WCPU:
•
Run outreach programmes at schools and tertiary institutions on violence against women and children;
•
Advocate for policies and guidelines on violence against women and children; and
•
Provide training for police officers, social workers and other professionals.
Source: Gender Research and Advocacy Project. (2005). Namibia Domestic Violence and Sexual Abuse Service Directory,
Chapter 1: Emergency and Protection Services, Second Edition. Available [Online ] http://www.lac.org.na/projects/grap/Pdf/servdir.pdf
With regard to the findings of those who have been sexually assaulted or raped, 54.5% reported that this had taken place in the last year. Of those subjected to these acts, 63.6% - nearly two out of every three rapes or sexual assaults - had occurred in their homes. According to the Legal Assistance Centre in Namibia, most
80
Ibid
55

incidences of rape in Namibia are perpetrated by family members or acquaintances of the victim
81
. In addition, the director of the Women’s Solidarity Namibia (WSN)
82
has revealed that marital rape is very widespread in
Namibia.
83
The most commonly cited victims were the respondents themselves (45.5%), other relatives (36.4%) and siblings (18.2%). With regard to the perpetrators, the most commonly identified were unknown members from the community (18.2%), other persons from outside the community (18.2%) and boyfriends or girlfriends of the victims (18.2%).
Table 27: Location of sexual assault/rape (n=11)
Location
At home
Open field/space
In and around shops
%
63.6
18.2
9.1
10.2.7
Deliberate Damage to Property
This crime has occurred for 7.3% of respondents. Of these, most (77.3%) had taken place in the past year. The most frequently mentioned place where this crime occurred was, as expected, the home (85.7%). The respondents’ themselves (54.5%) and the entire household (27.3%) were commonly cited as the victims. With regard to the perpetrators these were largely, unknown members of the community (50.0%) and known members from the community (27.3%).
Table 28: Location of deliberate damage to property (n=21)
Location
At home
In the street
Open field/space
Public transport places
%
85.7
4.8
4.8
4.8
10.2.8
Murder
Most (92.4%) of the households in this study had never been affected by murder. Conversely, 7.6% of respondents had reported a murder in their household. Of these, 56.5% of murders had taken place in the last year. The locations for these heinous crimes were mainly in the streets (47.8%), entertainment areas (17.4%) and the respondents’ homes (13.0%). Other relatives (59.1%), the entire household (18.2%) and siblings
(13.6%) were identified as the most frequent victims of this crime. Unknown members of the community
81
Legal Assistance Centre (LAC). 17 March 2010. Dianne Hubbard. Celebrating 20 years of progress towards gender equality. Available [online] at www.lac.org.na/projects/grap/Pdf/20yearsspeech.pdf
. Accessed on 08 November 2012
82
The Women’s Solidarity Namibia (WSN) was formed in 1989, it is a non-governmental organization concerned with advocacy and public outreach with regard to domestic violence and women’s economic empowerment.
83
Women’s solidarity Namibia (WSN). 4 July 2012. Telephone interview with the Director (cited in Immigration and
Refugee Board of Canada, Namibia. Domestic violence, including state protection, services and recourse available to victims, 3 August 2012, NAM104141.E, available at www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/5034fbc82.html
. Accessed on 2
November 2012.
56

(50.0%), known members from the community (13.6%) and other persons from outside the community (13.6%) were implicated as the most common perpetrators.
With regard to murder rates in Windhoek, for the last week in July and the first week of August 2011, seven cases of murder (.8%) were reported.
84
Encouragingly, murder rates slightly decreased the following month, with only three reported cases (.3%) in the 1 st
and 2 nd
weeks of September 2011.
85
However, a slight increase was observed in week one to three of November 2011 where six cases (.4%) were brought to the attention of the Windhoek City Police.
86
Table 29: Location of Murder (n=23)
Location
At home
At school
In the street
Open field/space
In and around shops
Entertainment area
%
13.0
4.3
47.8
4.3
4.3
17.4
10.2.9
Stock-theft
The majority of adults surveyed have never experienced stock-theft (97.7%). This finding could be explained by the fact that Windhoek is an urban area where not a lot of farming takes place. On the other hand, stock-theft has occurred for 2.3% of respondents. Of those who experienced this crime, 71.4% revealed that this did not occur in the past year. Stock theft primarily took place at the respondents’ homes (85.7%). The respondents’ parents (42.9%), the respondents themselves (28.6%) and the entire household (28.6%) were the most identified victims of stock-theft. Perpetrators were known members from the community (42.9%) unknown members from the community (42.9%) and other persons from outside the community (14.3%).
Table 30: Perpetrators of Stock-theft (n=7)
Perpetrators
Known member from the community
Unknown member from the community
Other person from outside the community
10.2.10
Theft of Personal Property
%
42.9
42.9
14.3
This crime has taken place for 28.8% of respondents. Of this 71.3% revealed that it took place in the past year.
Respondents’ homes (57.5%) and in the street (16.1%) were the most common places that theft of personal property occurred. Refer to Table 31 for other areas where thefts occurred. The most identified victims revealed by respondents were the respondents themselves (78.2%) and the entire household (12.6%).
Commonly cited perpetrators of this crime were unknown members from the community (43.7%), known members from the community (20.7%) and other persons from outside the community (12.6%).
84
Windhoek City Police crime statistics, op cit
85
Ibid
86
Ibid
57

Table 31: Location of theft of personal property (n=87)
Location
At home
At school
In the street
Open field/space
In and around shops
Public transport places
%
57.5
3.4
16.1
9.2
6.9
6.9
More males (31.0%, n=35) than females (27.5%, n=52) have been the victims of theft of personal property.
Victims were also largely from the age groups 51-60 (50.0%, n=5) and 18-20 years (40.9%, n=18). See Table 32 below.
Table 32: Experiences of theft of property per age group (%)
Age group
18-20
21-30
31-40
41-50
51-60
61-70
%
40.9
21.0
33.8
36.8
50.0
0.0
58

SUMMARY OF KEY FINDINGS
•
Three quarters (76.4%) of the sample knew where to go if they were a victim of crime; most commonly the police (65.6%).
•
Three out of five residents (62.2%) were unaware as to how to access information on protecting themselves from harm.
•
Most participants were familiar with the location of their nearest police station (92.7%) and health clinic (96.0%), while significantly fewer knew where their local court (54.2%) was geographically located. More than three quarters (78.7%) of the sample also did not know where their nearest social welfare office was.
•
Public transportation seemed relatively easy to access; 10 to 30 minutes is all that was required for most participants to get to their nearest point of public transport (41.5%).
•
When asked what they would like to receive a government grant for, most participants tended to highlight service delivery issues specifically housing (36.5%) and electricity (24.6%). More than a tenth (10.6%) of respondents also requested government support for child care.
•
When asked about government initiatives with the intention of improving their residential area, respondents asserted that government should spend money on education (26.5%), social development (24.5%), health care (16.8%) and housing (16.1%).
•
To make neighbourhoods safer, participants felt that government should spend more money on crime prevention initiatives and/or the justice system (31.0%).
Even non-violent and non-contact crimes such as property crimes have been known to cause emotional harm to victims. The data in the preceding chapter reveals that for many victims of crime in Okahandja Park, emotional and practical needs following their experiences are left unmet. Some believe that targeted practical and emotional support is of greater value to victims than financial compensation following criminal experiences,
87
hence the need to explore which practical services exist in Okahandja Park that could provide such non-fiscal support to victims of crime as well as non-victims.
11.1
Access to Information in Relation to Crime
Encouragingly, more than three quarters (76.4%) of the population sampled knew where to go for help if they were a victim of crime. Notwithstanding this promising finding, nearly a quarter (23.6%) of adults surveyed did not know where to go for help if they ever were a victim of crime. Of those who did know where to source such assistance, a large majority of respondents (65.6%) revealed that they would turn to the police for help.
These positive findings were not reflected with regard to access to information on protecting themselves from harm. More specifically, 62.2% revealed that they did not know where to get information on how to protect themselves from harm. Similar findings were also found with regard to knowing what help or assistance is available if they were ever criminally victimised. In particular, 68.4% said no, while 31.6% said yes. Of those respondents who said yes, 32.1% said counselling services are available, 28.6% revealed that medical support is available and 27.4% reported that anonymous reporting mechanisms are available to them.
87
Rebuilding Lives: Supporting victims of crime (2005). Available at http://www.officialdocuments.gov.uk/document/cm67/6705/6705.pdf
on 19th July 2012
59

11.2
Access to Core Support Services
Access to four core support services was also ascertained. More specifically, the respondents were asked about the police station, health clinic, social welfare office, and local court in their respective neighbourhood.
Questions centered on whether they knew where the abovementioned were, if they had ever personally visited the facility, why they never visited it (if their response to the preceding question was no), and the time it usually takes them to travel to these offices.
11.2.1
Access to the Police Station
Quite positively, 92.7% revealed that they knew where the nearest police station was. Not knowing where their nearest police station was mentioned by 7.3% of respondents. Of those respondents who knew where the police station was 73.7% had ever personally gone to the police station. In addition, for those respondents who had ever experienced a crime, 62.9% (n=175) knew where their nearest police station was. For 39.5% it usually took them 10 to 30 minutes to get to the police station. Those who never visited the police station (73.6%), revealed that the main reasons for not doing so were never having the need to visit the police station (76.9%) and it being too far and too expensive to get to (10.8%).
Figure 8: Access to the police station (n= 300)
92.7
100
80
60
40
20
7.3
0
Yes No
11.2.2
Access to the Health Clinic
The majority of respondents (96.0%) knew where their nearest health clinic was. Of these, 92.0% had ever personally been to the health clinic. For those respondents who have ever experienced violence, 59.9% (n=173) knew where their nearest health clinic was. For 43.2% of respondents who visited the health clinic, 43.2% usually took more than 30 minutes to an hour and 26.7% took more than one hour to get there. This finding suggests that many people may not be assessing this core service because of the long distance to the clinic, thus denying many the opportunities to access valuable medical treatment. Of the 8.0% that never visited the health clinic, 85.7% revealed that this was once again mainly because they never had the need to.
60

Figure 9: Access to the nearest health clinic (n=301)
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
96
4
Yes No
11.2.3
Access to the Social Welfare Office
A significant proportion (78.7%) of respondents do not know where their nearest social welfare office is.
Notwithstanding this, more than a fifth (21.3%) of the sample did know the location of their nearest social welfare office. Of those respondents who have been victims of violence, 67.2% knew where their nearest social welfare office was. Of those who knew where this office was located, more than half (52.4%) had ever personally visited the social welfare office. On average, the journey to the social welfare office reportedly lasted more than an hour (47.4%), while for others it took more than 30 minutes to an hour (39.4%) to get there. Not ever visiting the social welfare office was mentioned by 48.4% of respondents. This was once again mainly attributed to never having the need to seek assistance from this office (96.2%).
Figure 10: Access to the nearest social welfare office (n=301)
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
90
80
70
21.3
78.7
Yes No
11.2.4
Access to the Local Court
When asked whether respondents knew where their local court was situated, similar percentages were noted.
More specifically, 54.2% revealed that they knew where the local court was and 45.8% were not aware of this.
Of those respondents who ever experienced violence, a significant proportion (70.6%, n=115) knew where their local court was. Never visiting the local court was reported by 45.4% of respondents. Once again, never having the need to (93.7%) was shown to be the most prominent finding with regard to reasons for not visiting the local court.
61

However, for those respondents who have in fact visited the local court (54.3%), 55% usually needed more than one hour to get to their local court. In addition, for 28.1% of respondents who had ever been to the local court, it usually takes longer than 30 minutes to an hour to travel to this destination. This finding once again highlights that services that are urgently required are not necessarily being accessed due to long distances prohibiting easy access. This has obvious implications as many people cannot afford to travel such long distances in order to access these services.
Figure 11: Access to the local court (n=301)
56
54
52
50
48
46
44
42
40
54.2
45.8
Yes No
11.3
Time it takes to get to the Nearest Point of Transport
It takes 41.5% of respondents 10 to 30 minutes to get to their nearest point of transport (train, taxi, or bus). An even shorter time period (less than 10 minutes) were indicated by 31.3% of respondents. For 21.1% of respondents, it normally takes them approximately 30 minutes to an hour to reach their nearest point of transport.
11.4
Proposed Government Expenditure
Respondents were asked if they were ever to receive a single grant from the government what they would want it for.
Figure 12: I would want a single grant from the government for… (n=301)
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
36.5
24.4
10.6
3.3
Housing
3
Electricity Child care Water and sanitation
Health care
62

Most commonly, respondents indicated wanting the grant for housing (36.5%), electricity (24.6%) and child care (10.6%). When asked what they thought government should spend more money on in their area to improve it in general, varied responses were received. For the most part, respondents identified the need for additional funds for education (26.5%), social development (24.5%), health care (16.8%) and housing (16.1%) in
Okahandja Park.
With regard to safety and where respondents would like government to spend funds on in their area, similar findings to the aforementioned were found. While the majority of respondents felt that in order for government to make their community safer, money needed to be spent on crime prevention initiatives and the criminal justice system, others also highlighted the need for housing (11.7%) and health care (13.7%). This suggests that community members themselves are aware of the need for a social crime prevention approach rather than a pure law enforcement approach to community safety.
Table 33: Government expenditure (%)
Health care
HIV/AIDS Education Housing Crime
Prevention or justice system
8.1
Social development
Government should spend money on in general in the community (n=298)
Government should spend money on to improve safety in the community
(n=299)
.7
13.7
16.8
2.7
26.5
9.4
16.1
11.7 31.1
24.5
30.4
11.5
Attitudes toward the Provision of Basic and Social Services in the Neighbourhood
Okahandja Park is a largely unserviced settlement or land area, with the exception of the provision of water.
Thus, it was not surprising to find very high levels of dissatisfaction with the current state of service delivery in the community. Nearly all the participants were completely dissatisfied with the lack of electricity provision in their community. Following electricity, residents were most displeased with the current level of water and sanitation services in the community; with three out of five residents indicating their dissatisfaction (38.1%) or complete dissatisfaction (25.1%) with the current service delivery in Okahandja Park.
High levels of dissatisfaction were also expressed for the health services currently available to residents in this settlement. More specifically, nearly three fifths of the sample was fairly (29.4%) or completely dissatisfied
(29.1%) with the clinics or health system in the area. Similarly, a large proportion of the sample also expressed their dissatisfaction with the telecommunication services in their community (14.8% said fairly dissatisfied and
43.4% said completely dissatisfied).
The services that respondents seemed to be most satisfied with in their community were refuse collection and schools or the education system; with one in every two residents saying they were fairly or completely satisfied with these services in Okahandja Park. See Table 34 for these percentages.
63

Table 34: Attitudes toward basic and support services in the neighbourhood (%)
Refuse collection (n=278)
Water and sanitation (n=299)
Electricity (n=227)
Telecommunications (n=256)
Schools or education (n=286)
Clinics or health system
Completely satisfied
19.1
5.4
.4
23.4
17.8
15.6
Fairly satisfied
30.9
31.1
.9
13.7
32.5
24.6
Fairly dissatisfied
24.8
38.1
1.8
14.8
30.1
29.4
Completely dissatisfied
15.8
25.1
96.9
43.4
18.5
29.1
More than half of the respondents (51.8%) knew who their local councillor was. If the respondents ever needed someone to help them with a personal problem, the first person they would turn to were their parents
(31.5%), their brother/sister (18.5%) and other relatives (15.8%).
64

SUMMARY OF KEY FINDINGS
•
For 26.2% of the sample, the police were easy to access in their community, while 6.3% felt that the police were generally very easy to access in their area. Despite this, 48.5% indicated that the police are difficult to access.
•
Nearly a third (32.3%) of respondents believe that the victims or survivors of crime generally only report incidences of crime to the police some of the time. Non-reporting of crime was attributed to fear of being victimised by the perpetrator (20.9%), beliefs that the police are ineffective
(19.1%) and not trusting the police (10.4%).
•
Almost two-fifths (37.7%) of the sample would themselves not feel safe if they had to personally tell the police about a crime witnessed, while 33.4% would not feel safe at all.
•
According to many respondents, police special operations (42.6%) services to victims/survivors of crime (47.8%), police patrolling in vehicles (51.7%) and police liaison with the community (51.8%) were activities that were generally well executed in their community.
•
A total of 41.5% have seen the police in uniform in their areas; indicating that the police was visible in Okahandja Park.
•
Police services can be improved by improving response time to distress calls (22.7%), better victim reception (10.5%), following up on cases (12.9%) and strengthening the investigation unit (12.0%).
The respondents’ perceptions of the police are thoroughly explored in this section.
88
More specifically, perceptions of the accessibility and ease of reporting of crime to police, perceptions of safety with regard to disclosing information to police and the courts, perceptions of police services and possible improvements needed at the respondents’ local police station are discussed.
12.1
Perceptions of the Accessibility and Ease of Reporting Crime to Police
The findings with regard to how accessible the police are to survivors of crime were quite varied. Easy to access were indicated for 26.2% of respondents and 6.3% specified that the police were very easy to access.
However, almost half of respondents (48.5%) are of the opinion that the police are difficult to access for survivors of crime. Very difficult to access were revealed by 12.0%. These findings indicate that for the most part, respondents do not believe that police can be counted on when the victims or survivors really need their assistance.
These views are further supported by the finding that only 32.3% of the adults surveyed revealed that survivors of crime generally report incidences of crime and violence only some of the time. The most frequently identified reasons with regard to survivors of crime not always reporting crime and violence to police are that they are afraid of being victimised by perpetrators (20.9%), thinking that police are ineffective (19.1%) and not trusting the police (10.4%).
88
Please note all questions posed to research respondents in the instrument did not specify experiences or opinions about
Windhoek City police nor NAMPOL but rather respondents’ views of the police in general.
65

NAMIBIAN POLICE
Namibian police force (NAMPOL)
•
Forms part of the Home Affairs ministry. Its main aims and objectives are to: o attempt to preserve Namibian internal security, o play a role in ensuring law and order, o assist in the prevention, detection and investigation of crime, and o ensure the protection of life and property.
Windhoek City Police
•
The Windhoek City police primarily serves as an accompaniment to NAMPOL and strives to address: o crime prevention, o law enforcement, o traffic policing, and o enforcement of by-laws in the City of Windhoek’s area of jurisdiction.
A 24 hour emergency service is also provided by the City Police (this includes ambulance assistance and rescue, firefighting as well as coordination and management of the disaster management programme of Windhoek). Despite having full policing power, certain limitations do exist such as not having the power to investigate.
What sets apart the two types of police in Windhoek, is the fact that Windhoek City police has taken a community oriented policing and problem solving stance as their driving force in combating crime and violence in the Windhoek region.
Source: Interpol (2012). Namibia: Namibian police force. Accessed [online] at www.interpol.int/membercountries/African/Namibia.on 20 July 2012 . AND City of Windhoek (n.d) City police division. Accessed [online] at www.windhoek.cc.org.na/depa_citypolice_division/php
These exact sentiments are expressed with regard to reporting incidences of domestic violence, where the director of the WSN stated that police officers are not always “friendly” towards victims.
89
In addition, the director mentioned that the attitudes of police officers are influenced by the “broader cultural attitudes towards domestic violence” and that this affects woman especially with reporting experiences of abuse. On the other hand, there are police officers that are “sensitised” to the problem, whilst some officers are “very hostile” or not willing to get involved because some view domestic violence as a private matter that needs to be resolved amongst the parties involved.
90
Alarmingly, the director of WSN has also revealed that there have been instances where police officers were accused of further victimising rape victims by raping those persons
89
Women’s Solidarity Namibia (WSN). 4 July 2012. Telephone interview with the Director (as cited in Immigration and
Refugee Board of Canada, Namibia: Domestic violence, including state protection, services and recourse available to victims, 3 August 2012, NAM104141.E. Available [online] at http://www.unhcr.org.refworld/docid/5034fbc82.html
.
Accessed 2 November 2012.
90
Ibid
66

who reported their assault.
91
Furthermore, anecdotal evidence exists demonstrating that on some occasions police simply choose not to pursue cases of domestic violence.
92
Figure 13: Reasons victims do not report crime to the police (n=115)
25
20
15
10
5
20.9
10.4
6.1
21.6
0
Afraid of being victimised Do not trust the police Police are corrupt Cases are thrown out of court
12.2
Perceptions of Safety with Regard to Disclosing Information to Police and the Courts
To explore respondents’ own personal feelings of safety when it came to the police and the criminal justice system, participants were asked how safe or unsafe they would feel if they needed to inform police about a crime they had witnessed as well as testify in court about a crime they had witnessed. In both these scenarios, the findings revealed that respondents were more likely to report feeling unsafe than safe. When asked how safe respondents would feel if they needed to provide police with information about a crime they have witnessed, one in every two respondents reported that they would not feel safe (33.4%) or not feel safe at all
(18.8%) doing so. Still, a large proportion of the residents indicated that they would indeed feel safe (37.7%) or very safe (7.9%) if they needed to provide such information to their local police. With regard to testifying in court, nearly three out of five residents reported that they would not feel safe (25.2%) or not feel safe at all
(33.1%) having to testify in court. Despite this, 32.5% of the respondents did indicate that they would feel safe while 6.6% said that they would feel very safe if they needed to do so.
Table 35: How safe would you feel if you needed to … (n=302)
Give information to the police about a crime
Testify in court about a crime you witnessed
Safe
37.7
32.5
Very safe
7.9
6.6
Not safe
33.4
25.2
Not safe at all
18.8
33.1
91
Ibid
92
Ibid
67

12.3
Perceptions of Police Services
To reiterate, according to the Police Act 1990, the functions of the Namibian Police Force include:
•
“The preservation of the internal security of Namibia;
•
The maintenance of law and order;
•
The investigation of any offence or alleged offence;
•
The prevention of crime; and
•
The protection of life and property.”
93
To further assess community attitudes toward the police, respondents were provided with various police activities that are related to these above-mentioned core functions, and were asked to rate how well or poorly these were being executed in Okahandja Park. Overall, the community perceptions were varied.
Participants were most likely to rate police visibility (on foot patrols), police liaison with the community, police special operations (such as road blocks etc.), and police services to victims or survivors of crime positively; with one in every two residents viewing these police activities as good or very good in Okahandja Park. On the other hand, some police activities were also viewed negatively. Specifically, overall service at the local police station, police response to distress calls from community members, and police visibility (vehicle patrols) were more likely to be perceived as poor or very poor by residents surveyed in this community. Additional analyses have shown that poor service at the police station was indicated by (38.7%, n=79) of respondents who had ever paid a visit to their nearest police station. This finding suggests that more should be done to improve services provided by police which would lead to victims and survivors of crime being more willing to report crime and violence to the police.
Table 36: Perceptions of police services (%)
Service at the police station (n=299)
Police response to distress call from community (n=298)
Police liaison with the community (n=301)
Police officers on foot patrols (n=299)
Police officers in vehicle patrols (n=300)
Police special operations (roadblocks etc) (n=296)
Service to victims and survivors of crime (n=293)
Very poor Poor
16.1
16.1
10.3
15.7
5.3
19.6
8.9
34.8
35.2
25.9
38.8
32.7
13.5
30.4
Good Very Good
38.5
35.6
51.8
35.5
51.7
42.6
47.8
3.0
2.3
5.3
4.7
6.0
12.8
2.4
12.4
Police Visibility in the Neighbourhood
The findings indicate that for many of the respondents, the police are quite visible in their areas. In particular,
41.5% stated that they have seen the police in their uniform in their community on several occasions. This finding is further emphasised in the sense that 17.9% indicated that they have seen the police in their uniform many times in their area. On the contrary, there were respondents who were of the opinion that the police are not that visible in their area. More specifically, 22.6% cited that they have only seen the police once or twice and 11.3% have never seen the police in their uniform in their neighbourhood. The visibility of the police could be attributed to NAMPOL’s community policing initiative.
93
The Police Act 1990, Government Gazette No. 113 of December 1990.
68

Namibia’s community policing initiative
In September 2011, NAMPOL launched its community policing pilot project in five constituencies in Wanaheda namely Samora Machel, Tobias Hainyeko, Moses Garoëb, Soweto and Khomasdal North (Otjomuise and
Grysblok West only). This community policing pilot project is geared toward increasing the visibility of the police in these communities, and in so doing, achieving several objectives that have been described by
NAMPOL’s Chief Inspector Vicky Matjila as: a) “achieving more effective and efficient crime control, b) reduction of the fear of crime, c) improving the community’s quality of life, d) improving service delivery and e) responding proactively to the community’s concerns and problems.
94
This initiative relies heavily on intelligence generated from community members through pro-active community forums and neighbourhood watches that are usually comprised of small groups of volunteers.
95
According to press articles, there are already approximately 6000 volunteers who have joined the Namibian Police and City Police in combatting crime in the Khomas Region.
96
NAMPOL intends to roll-out this project to other areas nation-wide following a thorough evaluation that was scheduled for the week of the 13 th
to the 17 th
of January 2012 and carried out by British police officials
Superintendent Tristram Hicks and Inspector Andrew Pritchard. Following this evaluation, Andrew Pritchard was reported as saying that the preliminary findings observed “exceeded our expectations quite significantly”.
97
Numerous press articles reveal that community members too, share this perception. A journalist from The Namibian joined the Namibian Police’s community policing officers on patrol and encountered several community members who had the following to say about the initiative: “We are happy that you are bringing safety to our neighbourhood and upholding the law…” said a young man. “As a taxpayer, I feel number one secure and number two that my tax money is used wisely.” 98 Schools that have benefited from the community policing initiative also expressed positive feedback. “They come around to the school every second week and then the community can come with their issues, have documents certified etc. They come here and help cut the distance the community will have to cover.”
99
Overall, schools representatives felt that the presence of community policing officers had resulted in the decreased incidence of behavioural problems and crimes occurring in and around schools.
100
To ensure the effective roll-out of this initiative, chief inspector Matjila has recognised the need to educate community members on the benefits of community policing and neighbourhood watches more specifically, as well as developing effective partnerships with key stakeholders
101
since crime prevention requires a whole-ofsociety approach.
94
The Namibian, Denver Kisting, 05.01.2012. “Community policing project peaks”.
95
The Namibian, 07.08.2012 “Invest in neighbourhood watches”
96
The Namibian, Lorraine Kazondovi, 06.06.2012. “Namibia: Community Policing a major blow to crime”.
97
The Namibian, Denver Kisting, 19.01.2012.
98
The Namibian, Denver Kisting “Community Policing: on foot patrol with the police”.
9999
Andreas Katangolo, principal of Havana Primary school as reported in The Namibian, Denver Kisting, : Community
Policing: Schools welcome initiative”.
100
Ibid.
101
The Namibian, Denver Kisting, 17.11.2011. “Namibia: Community Policing – Get involved, Says Matjila”
69

12.5
How to Improve Police Services
The previous section revealed that respondents felt that police responses to distress calls from the community and service to victims were poor. It is not surprising that these findings emerged as significant with regard to improvement of services. In particular, 22.7% proposed that police need to improve response time to distress calls and 16.3% cited that better victim reception at police stations are required in order to improve the services that survivors of crime are provided with at the local police station servicing the residents of
Okahandja Park.
Table 37: Changes needed to improve services given to survivors of crime
Improve response time to distress calls
Follow up on cases
Strengthen the investigation unit
More sympathy towards the victims
Better victim reception at the police station
Listen to all victims without judging
Treat all victims fairly
%
22.7
12.9
12.0
3.7
16.3
9.4
6.1
12.6
Legislation with regard to witnesses of crime and community service in Namibia
•
Criminal Procedure Act
This Act was altered to include provisions for vulnerable witnesses.
102
Vulnerable witnesses in the Act refers to:
A person with a physical or mental disability, anyone under the age of 18, any person who has been the victim of a sexual offence, any person requiring “special arrangements to give full and proper evidence” and any person who in the process of testifying suffers undue stress.
103
The LAC produced a guide where they emphasised that persons that are “intimidated by the accused or any other person such as a case involving family members, or members of a gang” are also regarded as vulnerable witnesses.
104
•
Community Service Orders
For many countries, especially those in the developmental stages, alternatives to prison are few and far between.
105
Issues with finding alternatives to prison still persist although provision of community services as an alternative to prison has been on statute books since the early 1950’s.
106
However, community service orders has never really been utilised primarily due to the “lack of mechanisms to enforce such sentences”.
107
This has also been viewed as being a significant cause of overcrowding in many of Namibia’s prisons.
108
In order to overcome the abovementioned, Value 3 of the NP’s strategic plan (2003-2007) was constructed which
102
Namibia, 2003. Criminal procedure Amendment Act. Accessed on 15 November 2012 at www.lacorg.na/laws/pdf/crimproc.pdf
103
Legal Assistance Centre,2005: 59. Namibia Domestic Violence and Sexual Abuse Service Directory. Accessed on 15
November 2012 at http://www.lac.org.na?projects/grap/Pdf/servdir.pdf
104
Ibid
105
Namibia Community Service Orders Pilot Project, pilot regions: Caprivi, Okavango, Oshana, Kunene, NSC pilot project,
Windhoek, 2005.
106
Ibid
107
Ibid
108
Ibid
70

states that “the majority of offenders can be dealt with effectively in the community by means of non-custodial correctional programmes [and that] imprisonment should be used with restraint.
109
In addition, Value 3 has emphasised that “imprisonment should be reserved for those who cannot otherwise be treated in the community, those who pose serious danger to the community, and those who willfully refuse to comply with a non-prison sentence”.
110
Caprivi, Okavango, Oshana and Kunene are the regions where community service orders are currently being piloted.
111
The Community Service Bill has provided a definition of community service order as “a court order that requires an offender to perform public work within the community for a specified period of time.
112
In other words if this order is given to an offender, this provides them with an opportunity to compensate or give back to society for the wrong(s) that they have done by working for no compensation to benefit the community as a substitute for imprisonment.
113
The Bill states that offenders who have been convicted of a punishable offence
(with imprisonment not exceeding three years), either with or without the possibility of paying a fine will be eligible to perform a community service order.
114
On the other hand, in the case of when an offender has received a sentence (when imprisonment exceeds three years) the court still gets given the option as too make an order with regard to whether the offender will have to serve a portion of their sentence as a form of community service.
115
109
Namibian Prison Service Strategic Plan (2003-2007), p.7
110
Ibid
111
Namibia Community Service Orders Pilot Project, p.7
112
National Steering Committee of the Community Service Orders, Tidbits on community orders as an alternative to imprisionment, Windhoek, p.1. (Community Service Order Bill, Section 1).
113
Ibid
114
Ibid, Section 2(1) (a)
115
Ibid, Section 2(1) (b)
71

SUMMARY OF KEY FINDINGS
•
Low participation in social or recreational activities was found for this community. This could be attributed somewhat to the lack of social and recreational opportunities and facilities available in this area.
•
Overall, there seemed to be a fair sense of social cohesion in the community; 57.7% of the sample felt that people in Okahandja Park can generally be trusted, 61.3% felt that most people in their community would help each other out if the need arose, and 57.9% stated that people in their community would look out for each other’s homes if they were away for a while.
•
More than a fifth (22.8%) of the sample was aware of any crime prevention programmes or initiatives in their area.
•
When asked how they thought these current initiatives could be more effective, respondents highlighted the need for community members to look out for one another’s children (14.0%), watch each other’s houses (13.5%), work together as a community (10.2%), report crime/suspicious activities (9.2%) and to establish programmes for youth or children (6.3%).
•
According to the respondents, a safe community was viewed as clean and beautiful (11.6%), where members of the community can be trusted (10.9%), no crime occurs (8.6%) and a community that works together (6.6%).
Social capital refers to “the attitude, spirit and willingness of people to engage in collective civic activities.”
116
This notion is crucial to social research studies since positive community networks and connections are believed to result in collective action that is mutually beneficial to all community members. In this case, positive social networks are believed to encourage community involvement in crime prevention initiatives since it is believed to foster a sense of mutual responsibility for safety. Further to this, individuals who are more socially integrated within their communities are expected to exhibit lower levels of fear of crime.
117
Earlier studies have described social integration as an attachment or a sense of belonging to a community.
Thus, researchers have operationalised social integration in various ways including the ability to identify strangers in the area, the degree to which neighbours feel they are a part of the community, possessing a personal investment in the neighbourhood, having social ties to fellow community members, participating in formal community organisations, engaging in information sharing, perceiving similarities among residents, and having friends or relatives who live in the community. In short, residents who experience a sense of belonging to their community and who have strong social ties with their neighbours are likely to experience lower levels of fear when compared to those who do not have these attachments.
118
For the purpose of this safety audit, the Okahandja Park residents were asked specifically about their participation in various social groups or activities available in their community, the extent to which they trust people in their community, and whether they feel people in their community would look out for one another.
116 Definition found at http://www.envision.ca/templates/profile.asp
117
Lewis & Salem, op cit.
118
Franklin & Franklin, op cit.
72

13.1
Participation in Certain Activities
The findings reflect that overall not many respondents are involved with specific activities in their neighbourhoods. This is highlighted by the high percentages of negative responses for most of the activities asked about. Overall, nine out of ten residents did NOT participate in a drama or theatre group (95.4%), community safety project (94.0%) or neighbourhood watch (92.1%). Even though, most participants did not participate in any social activity, a fair number of respondents did report participating in a choir or singing group (24.2%), sports group or team (18.5%), other church group (16.9%), youth group (14.9%) or any other social group (12.3%) available in their community.
Table 38: Participation in specific activities
Activity
Youth group (n=302)
Neighbourhood watch (n=302)
Sports group or team (excluding school) (n=302)
Drama or theatre (n=302)
Choir or singing group (n=302)
Other church group (n=302)
Community Safety Project (n=302)
Any other group (n=301)
Yes
14.9
7.9
18.5
4.6
24.2
16.9
6.0
12.3
No
85.1
92.1
81.5
95.4
75.8
83.1
94.0
87.7
Gender differences were noted, such as more females (88.4%, n=167) than males (69.9%, n=79) indicating that they do not participate in a sports group or team (excluding school). The inverse occurred with regard to participation in a choir or singing group, where more males (83.2%) than females (71.4%) stated that they do not partake in this activity.
Those who did participate in any social activity were asked to specify how often they engaged in these activities. The findings indicated that most often, respondents participated in these activities on a weekly basis.
Weekly participation were noted by 60.0% with regard to the youth group, 58.3% with regard to the neighbourhood watch activities, 71.4% with regard to the sports group or team (excluding school activities),
42.9% with regard to the drama or theatre group activities, 82.2% with regard to the choir or singing group,
76.5% with regard to other church group activities and 52.9% with regard to participation in community safety project activities. Refer to table 39.
Image 6: Children playing sports in Okahandja Park
73

Table 39: Frequency of participating in certain activities (%)
Youth group (n=45)
Neighbourhood Watch (n=24)
Sports group or team (n=56)
Drama or theatre group (n=14)
Choir or singing group (n=73)
Other church group (n=51)
Community Safety Project (n=17)
Any other group (n=37)
Daily
11.1
25.0
12.5
14.3
5.5
9.8
5.9
18.9
Weekly
60.0
58.3
71.4
42.9
82.2
76.5
52.9
48.6
Monthly
26.7
8.3
14.3
35.7
11.0
11.8
35.3
32.4
Less than monthly
2.2
8.3
1.8
7.1
1.4
2.0
5.9
0.0
In terms of age, additional analyses have shown that no participation in these activities was similar across all age groups surveyed. In addition, high percentages were observed for all groups, ranging from 60 to 100%.
Table 40: No participation in activities per age (%)
Youth group
Neighbourhood watch
Sports group or team (excl.school)
Drama/theatre group
Choir/singing group
Other church group
Community safety project
Any other group
18-20
77.3
90.9
72.7
95.5
68.2
79.5
95.5
93.2
21-30
84.1
95.5
77.7
94.9
80.3
82.8
98.1
87.8
31-40
91.5
88.7
90.1
95.8
73.2
87.3
85.9
80.0
41-50 51-60
84.2 90.0
78.9
94.7
94.7
68.4
78.9
89.5
78.9
90.0
90.0
100
70.0
90.0
90.0
100
61-70
100
100
100
100
100
0.0
100
100
13.2
Attitudes toward Social Cohesion in the Neighbourhood
Generally, the findings reflect that in this particular sample, a perceived sense of social cohesion is present. In particular, more than half of the population sampled (57.5%) agreed that most people in their community can be trusted, 61.3% felt that if the need arose most people in their community would help each other out and
57.9% agreed that people in their community would keep an eye on each other’s homes if they ever were to leave their home for a while.
Table 41: Respondents’ attitudes toward social cohesion in the neighbourhood (%)
Strongly
Agree
1.0
Agree
57.5
Disagree
37.0
Strongly
Disagree
4.1 Most people in my community can be trusted
(n=292)
If needed, most people in the community would help each other out (n=297)
People in my community would keep an eye on each other’s homes if you were away for a while (n= 297)
5.1
13.5
61.3
57.9
26.9
24.9
6.1
3.4
74

However, this perceived sense of community seems to change when one experiences crime. It appears that if respondents have been victims of crime (40.4%, n=69), this affects their feelings of trust towards their neighbours.
13.3
Involvement in Programmes and Projects in the Neighbourhood
Overall, it appears that there is a lack of awareness with regard to programmes and projects aimed at addressing crime in the neighbourhood. Only 22.8% of respondents are aware of any programmes or projects currently working to address crime and violence in their neighbourhoods. Of those who revealed that they were aware of these programmes, the most frequently mentioned was the Women and Men Network (11.3%).
Only 32.9% of respondents felt that these programmes or projects have made a significant difference. A slight difference was indicated by 42.9%. On the other hand, pessimistic views were held by 17.1% where they stated that the existing programmes and projects have not made a difference at all.
In order to improve the programmes, 27.1% indicated that people involved with these programmes need to work with the police more, 20.0% revealed that more training for these projects are required and 21.4% stated that in order to improve these programmes, community members must become more involved in these initiatives.
Women and Men Network against crime
•
•
Established in October 2009 in Okandjengedi
Main aim of the organisation is to help the Namibian police fight crime
•
This forms part of an exciting and innovative community policing concept
•
Mainly consists of volunteers that aid in identifying criminals, the reporting of crime and tipping off of police
•
Total membership stands at 9000
Source: Hilukilwa, P. (2011). Women and men network against crime. Namibian Sun.
13.4
Improving the Safety of People in the Neighbourhood
Respondents were asked what they themselves were doing or could do in order to improve their safety and the safety of others in their neighbourhood. The most frequently identified responses were look out for one another’s children (14.0%), watch each other’s homes (13.5%), the community should stand or work together
(10.2%), report crimes or suspicious activities (9.2%) and establish programmes for youth or children (6.3%).
See Table 42.
These findings have emphasised that respondents mainly feel that safety can be improved if people work on the sense of cohesion in the neighbourhood as well as increase the reporting of criminal activities and lastly, engage with the youth, by providing them with opportunities to be more involved in programmes where they can become more productive in the neighbourhood, and in so doing, decreasing levels of crime and violence.
75

Table 42: Ways to improve safety in the neighbourhood (n=289)
Look out for one another’s children
Need more crèches/aftercare facilities
Build recreational facilities for youth
Join neighbourhood watches
Establish programmes for youth/children
Report crimes or suspicious activities
Police and neighbourhood watch to patrol more
Motivate youth and community
Working together with police/neighbourhood
Community must stand or work together
Teach children not to talk to strangers
Put on safety gates and burglar bars
Pray for the safety of self and children
Speak to children/young people about drugs
Speak to children/young people about crime
Watch each other’s houses
To look out for each other
%
4.4
4.7
7.5
10.2
1.9
1.3
14.0
.8
3.0
3.9
6.3
9.2
1.1
1.8
2.8
13.5
5.9
Respondents’ opinions regarding a safe community predominantly centered once again around the notion of a sense of cohesion amongst the community. These views were reflected in the finding that 10.9% of respondents revealed that a safe community would be one where members of the community can be trusted, where they are peaceful and respectful towards each other. In addition, the above views were echoed in the sense that 6.6% stated that a safe community is a community that works together. Furthermore, a safe community for other respondents would be a clean and beautiful community (11.6%) where there is no crime
(8.6%).
Table 43: A safe community would be…………. (n=302)
A clean and beautiful community
Where members of the community can be trusted
No crime
A community that works together
%
11.6
10.9
8.6
6.6
76

Okahandja Park is characterised by high levels of unemployment and poverty. The majority of respondents are battling harsh socio-economic conditions, where only one person in an average household of five has a stable source of income, the provision of basic services are poor which lead to the basic needs of many not being met.
In addition, crime features quite prominently in the lives of many where it was identified by the majority as either increasing or staying the same over a three year period. The prevalence of crime was also consistently highlighted by many respondents where they revealed that violence and fighting and crime were one of the primary challenges facing many in Okahandja Park. While violence in the home was not elevated, violence outside of the home was more common for respondents. Moreover, these situations are further exacerbated by the use of substances which were also identified as a dominant factor impacting on the well-being of many respondents.
After rigorously conducting a community safety and crime audit of Okahandja Park, which enabled the researcher to explore the various issues impacting on the community, the next step is crucial as it holds implications in terms of developing interventions.
119
By prioritising the social, physical and economic issues encountered by respondents in Okahandja Park, it will boost the promotion of an integrated and focus driven action by relevant stakeholders.
120
As the youth were frequently implicated as the main perpetrators of crime, it is thus imperative to reduce the risk of youth’s involvement in criminal acts. This can be established by building and promoting resilience in the youth of Okahandja Park. Resilience has been viewed as having persistent and positive outcomes in the face of adversity or severe stressors.
121
In order to foster resilience to violence in youth it is recommended that:
•
Resilience be developed by providing and promoting the use of recreational activities;
•
By striving to increase youth’s exposure to skills development programmes;
•
Employment opportunities are provided; and
•
Stakeholders involved in crime reduction should strive to actively engage and motivate youths in their neighbourhoods.
The findings have shown that currently facilities are under-utilised, it is then essential to remedy this by conducting awareness campaigns directed towards making facilities more accessible to the youth.
The findings have demonstrated that people generally feel unsafe in their neighbourhoods, especially after dark. Women and children were particularly identified as vulnerable groups. Thus, the safety of these groups needs to be prioritised particularly within the communities in which they are most susceptible. This is crucial especially given that international and local literature has shown the influence of prior victimisation on the likelihood of later anti-social and criminal behaviour. This suggests the need for targeted safety programmes that are designed to mitigate the dangers associated with the lifestyle and routine activities of each of these groups. On the basis of this it is recommended that:
•
All relevant stakeholders involved in safety, should direct their efforts at promoting a safer environment especially for women and children;
119
Centre for Justice and Crime Prevention, 2011, Final Overberg District Wide Safety Strategy Process Document
120
Ibid
121
Lipsey, M.W., Denzon, J.H., 1998, Predictions of violent or serious delinquency in adolescence and early adulthood: A synthesis of longitudinal research. In R.Loeber and D.P. Farrington (eds), Serious and violent juvenile offenders: risk factos and successful interventions. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
77

•
This should also focus on increasing safety around public transportation places and recreational facilities, by possibly employing more security/police at these high risk places;
•
Involve community members in all safety efforts; and
•
Establish neighbourhood watches throughout the area.
As mentioned throughout this report, the use and/or abuse of substances have been identified as one of the major challenges faced by Okahandja Park residents. This is further compounded by the fact that alcohol is very easy to access for many respondents. Substance abuse has also been linked to violence, where many respondents revealed that the perpetrators of violence were often under the influence of substances when violent incidents occurred. With this in mind it is therefore recommended that:
•
Substance abuse awareness campaigns should be provided, with the main focus on educating people about the dangers of substance abuse;
•
For those who are already in the grips of addiction, it is imperative to provide adequate and evidencebased treatment as well as an efficient referral system;
•
Actively promote the reduction in consuming substances; and
•
Impose and more importantly enforce stricter laws prohibiting the use of substances (this will significantly reduce rates with regard to alcohol).
Overall, the findings have illustrated that people mostly hold negative views about the police.
122
The police are often viewed as ineffective and untrustworthy. It is thus suggested that:
•
Campaigns be run, that portray the police in a better light. Changing people’s image of the police will significantly improve the levels of trust held by the community.
•
By improving service at police stations
•
By improving response time to distress calls
•
By significantly improving victim reception and
•
Strengthening the investigation unit
Despite many people assessing core support services, there are still many who are not afforded the opportunity to access health services, services provided by the local court and social welfare office. The reasons for not doing so were mainly attributed to the long distances required to reach the abovementioned places as well as the cost. On the basis of this, it is suggested that:
•
Services are made more accessible by providing mobile versions of police stations and health clinics and especially employing more social workers because currently there is a shortage of social workers;
•
It is important to create awareness around counselling services because currently people in the community consider it as taboo; and
•
Providing awareness campaigns especially directed at educating people about how to access information to protect themselves.
What was especially promising in this study was the finding that respondents perceived there to be a fair sense of community cohesion in their neighbourhood; this despite the fact that not many of them participate in any social or recreational activities in their community. Still, respondents felt that people in their community would look out for each other. It is therefore recommended that any interventions outlined in the safety plan build on this community perception by:
•
Encouraging the notion that a good and safe community is one that works together;
122
This could be the result of the legacy of the Apartheid system where police were viewed as brutal.
78

•
By promoting the benefits of looking out for one another; and
•
Encouraging people to be more respectful and peaceful toward each other.
It is important to note that providing a safer environment for all is everyone’s responsibility. However, stakeholders that are involved in this process need to address core issues identified as well as be held accountable for their required tasks if any safety plan is going to be successful.
79

Desk for Social Development of
ELCN
Sustainable Development, Urban
Planning, City of Windhoek
Councillor, Tobias Hainyeko
Constituency, Khomas Regional
Council
•
Poverty alleviation
•
Job creation
•
The housing crisis needs to be addressed
•
The criminal justice system o
Backlog of cases o
Low conviction rates
• o
Speedier sentencing required
Correctional services o
Correctional facilities need to be more rehabilitative o
Improve safety of inmates
• o
Address high rates of sodomy
Public education and awareness programmes o
To create a sense of common good o
Parenting skills
•
Community members to take responsibility for creating safer communities o
Communities should meet together to discuss safety and other issues of concern to them o
Neighbours to keep an eye on each other’s homes and children
•
To regulate access to alcohol/alcohol industry
•
Strengthen and build youth resilience to crime and violence
•
Road safety o
Children need to receive positive messages regarding safety
•
Include churches and other faith-based organisations in the efforts to improve community safety
•
NGOs and other civil society organisations also to become more active in improving community safety.
•
Community members to buy-in and take ownership of the safety strategy and its associated activities
•
Change in community mindset o
Parents often neglect their children or poorly monitor their activities
•
Road safety o
Community members need to be taught how to use roads safely
•
Riverbeds need to be maintained
•
Provision of recreational facilities
•
Service delivery (Okahandja park is largely an unserviced land) o
Electricity o
Water
• o
Sewerage
Tarring of roads
• o
To address the high levels of dust
Increasing accessibility to the clinic
•
Job creation
80

Sister Namibia
Women’s
Development
Action
Women Solidarity Namibia for
Sunrise Namibia, Vocational
Training Centre
•
Employment opportunities for SMME’s
•
Build a Multi-Purpose Centre
•
Provide recreational spaces and activities for children and youth
•
Build a secondary school o
Okahandja Park has 3 primary schools but no secondary school.
•
Address gaps in service delivery
•
Focus on environmental design o
Provide adequate street lighting o
Cleaning up of open spaces
•
Improve public transportation safety especially for women and girls
•
Empower women to become agents of social change
•
Women should be taught how to create a safe space for themselves even if just vocally
•
Foster alternative and non-violent notions of masculinity
•
Initiate violence prevention campaigns using taxi drivers as agents of social change
•
Political will to drive community safety initiatives
•
Need to provide support to men who also suffer from domestic violence
•
Upgrade the Women and Child Abuse Units in rural areas
•
Provide shelters for abused women
•
Stricter laws to regulate access to alcohol
• o
Regulating the operating hours of shebeens
Public education awareness o
Men’s responsibility toward their families or pregnant girlfriends.
•
Businesses or the private sector to provide sponsorship for recreational facilities or host recreational events in the area
•
Efforts to foster local sporting and recreational talents of young people
•
Expand on gardening initiatives
• o
Food security
Job creation
•
Provide entrepreneurial opportunities
•
Advocacy and lobbying to ensure women understand their rights
•
Homes to be built properly o
The current physical structures (corrugated iron) provide easy access to perpetrators
•
Increase police visibility
•
Improve street lighting
•
Provide training to community members o
Conflict resolution techniques o
Anger management o
How to prevent violence o
Women need to be trained on the options available to them should they experience violence in the home
81

Friendly Haven
Philippi Namibia
•
Community to take responsibility for creating safer communities o
Need to look out for each other o
Should report suspicious persons and activities
•
Clear physical boundaries around each home
• o
Homes are located too closely to one another
Disseminate relevant educational materials
•
Develop real curriculums for relevant role-players aimed at addressing gender-based violence
•
Foster a shared vision of community safety
•
Create safe playgrounds for children and youth
•
Provide non-violent family role-models for children and youth
•
Parenting skills programmes o
Included in this should be training to allow parents to identify signs and symptoms of violence and abuse in their children
• o
How to respond appropriately to this
Constantly reinforce non-violent messages o
Raise community awareness about the importance of seeking counselling support following experience of violence and trauma
•
Need to provide after-care service for women leaving shelters for abused women
•
Transitional housing facilities required for women leaving shelters but who have no safe accommodation
82

Efforts towards social and economic development in Namibia post-apartheid have not been a singlehanded struggle. Other international institutes and organisations have been offering services and knowledge to the Namibian government to meet the national developmental goals of 2030. Below are listed some of the aid institutions with a brief description of the work that they have been doing in
Namibia. These amongst many others include the United Nations Children’s Funds, the World Health
Organisation and the World Bank.
UNDAF Namibia
The United Nations systems have been dedicated and actively involved with assisting the Government of the Republic of Namibia to reach Namibia’s Vision 2030. The United Nations Systems have structured the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF). Initially the UNDAF was intended to run from 2006 until 2010 but has been extended till 2012. The primary focus of the UNDAF Namibia is to facilitate and support interventions that address threats that weaken the social and economic development of the country. The UNDAF 2006 to 2010 extended to 2012 aims to offer efficient and effective strategies that will complement the inputs from all the stakeholders involved that will inevitably minimise resource wastage. The UN Namibia has committed itself to improve the already existing coordination mechanisms that have shown promise. The UN Namibia is a vital part of Namibia’s second and third National Development Plan and will run concurrently with each strategy. There are numerous partners involved in the UNDAF strategy. Each listed below with a description of their roles and responsibilities:
1.
IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency)
The IAEA assisted in the development of the Country Programme Framework (CPF), during the UNDAF cycle to identify some of the state priority areas, planning opportunities for the technical cooperation for a four year period, from 2007 up until 2011. Their purpose would be to team up with the government to ensure that the agencies are working towards meeting the national developmental goals.
2.
ILO (International Labour Organisation)
The purpose of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) was to assist the Namibian government and relevant stakeholders in the construction of the National Development Plan as well as the UNDAF outcomes. In this regard, the ILO offers employment opportunities for young and older women and men in response to Namibia’s Reduction Strategy Programmes. Their efforts will include the improvement and implementation of programmes and policies that promote equity and the employment rights. This will entail measurements to deal with gender based inequalities, child labour and HIV and Aids.
3.
OCHA (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs)
To assist the UNDAF reach its second outcome: “strengthen national/regional response capacities for humanitarian and emergency management”, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
(OCHA) has offered their support to reach this goal. Services that will be offered include the financial and technical support in the area of disaster management and humanitarian responses and crisis relief.
4.
UN-HABITAT
Based on the UNDAF report the UN-Habitat agreed to assist the United Nations Country Team by offering support to the urban sector with regard to ‘shelter and informal settlement upgrading’ as well
83

as ‘good urban governance & urban management’. Their services are extended to Resident Coordinator with regards to the development of the assistance specifically focused on the development of shelter and urban sector development.
5.
The World Bank
The World Bank will offer technical assistance and analytical support in the Namibian government efforts in building local capacity and elevating poverty. Support also stretches to the health sector in the management of HIV/AIDS. Amongst other support structures that the World Bank offers the support on promoting Environmental Sustainability through Improved Land Use Planning.
6.
WHO (World Health Organisation)
In the country assessment, HIV/AIDS amongst others were highlighted as one of the development challenges. Therefore the WHO has offered sustainable support to the GRN in the following areas related to HIV/AIDS. Interventions targeted at promoting healthy sexual behaviour, “prevention, treatment and care (VCT, PMTCT); provision of tools and guidelines for normative guidance; training of health personnel and community based organisations, monitoring, evaluation, surveillance and research.”
Services from the WHO side also focus on the Organisation of Health Services; Health Promotion and
Emergency Preparedness and Response. Furthermore children’s health is important to the WHO as they do support the Namibian government in the area by offering immunisation and vaccine development.
In addition to this the WHO has put in great efforts to scale up ARV distribution, assist the government in meeting the National Strategic goals including the attainment of goals on HIV and MTPIII. Their support in the health sector goes beyond HIV/AIDS and includes other disease treatment such as
Tuberculosis; Malaria; Mental Health and Substance Abuse and other Communicable Diseases.
GIZ
The GIZ has worked in Namibia since the country has gained its independence in 1990. They work on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. The GIZ offers programmes and projects on the following:
•
Economic Development and Employment
•
Environment and Climate Change
•
Rural Development
•
Social Development
•
Sustainable Infrastructure.
One of the dire consequences of the apartheid regime was that it left an education system filled with deficiencies and inequalities. Overcoming these hurdles in the education system has become one of the goals of the Namibian government by introducing practical, infrastructural as well as institutional reforms to the current education sector. Progress in this regard has been quite slow especially in the low socio-economic regions who still confront educational drawbacks such as a shortage of educators, school buildings and the necessary school aid. Quality basic education is one of if not the most important aspect in crime prevention, reducing poverty, ensuring productive citizens as well as consolidating Namibia’s democratic structures. The Namibian government has recognised the importance of education and has built partnerships with the GIZ to improve the education system status in the country.
84

Sources:
United Nations, United Nations Development Assistance Framework 2006-2010 (UNDAF) Namibia,
Available: http://www.unicef.org/about/execboard/files/770-Namibia_UNDAF_-_2006-2010.pdf
.
GIZ, Basic Education, Available: http://www.giz.de/themen/en/8373.htm
85