ON Sunday, 15-month-old Royal Fatima Fritz became the latest statistic of a scourge that has been haunting Namibian communities for years.
The baby drowned in a bucket of water at Okalongo.
Her mother, Martha Hinananye (21), who yesterday spoke to The Namibian, said she is shattered by the incident.
She did not expect her child to drown, since the water in the involved bucket was shallow, she said.
"I am sad because I was the one who fetched that water early in the day, which I used to prepare lunch," Hinananye said.
She said after having lunch, she took her baby along to her bedroom for an afternoon nap.
"I quickly fell asleep and was not aware that my baby had left the room to play outside. When I woke up I realised she was not in bed.
"I thought nothing of it because there are other people in the house, including children. So I took a basin to fetch water for our bath and when I got to the bucket, I saw my baby's legs protruding from the bucket, her head was in the water.
"I couldn't believe it. I started to scream," she said.
Hinananye said her brothers, who were also asleep, came running, but it was too late.
"She was gone."
Little Royal was laid to rest at Okalongo on Wednesday.
Ironically, her death came on the eve of World Child Protection Day on 1 June.
This day puts the spotlight on children's rights to protection, survival, love, safety and adequate care in a protective and loving environment.
In Namibia, 25-litre plastic or metal containers are used for bulk quantities of a wide variety of products, such as food, paint and construction materials.
However, when emptied, they are reused as buckets - especially in poorer communities.
Baby Royal's death follows several incidents involving children drowning in buckets.
These include one-year-old Fransina Iita, who drowned in a 25-litre container while playing with other children as her mother was taking a bath.
The incident happened on 27 March 2021.
Another victim was Victoria Nankero, a one-year-old who fell into a bucket of water at Mutwaratja village in the Kavango East region on 31 January this year.
She was left in the care of her father who fell asleep when the incident happened.
Another case is of a one-year-old who also drowned in a bucket of water while her parents were in the field looking after goats in Omusati region on 3 June 2021.
On 9 January 2021 an unidentified 11-month-old boy at Omufituwanauyala village in the Omusati region was reported to have drowned in a water bucket while his mother was tending to crops in the field.
CHILD NEGLECT
Speaking on the incidents, executive director of gender equality, poverty eradication and social welfare Esther Lusepani this week, said leaving children unattended is dangerous and tantamount to child neglect, which is a crime.
"It is unfortunate that parents are careless and negligent of their children. Any grown-up knows the hazards of leaving water in a bucket where there are small children.
"Some parents are also abusing alcohol and neglect to take proper care of their children. These drowning incidents should be taken very seriously by law enforcement and investigations should be done," she said.
"Child negligence is almost culpable homicide, and I urge law enforcement to take up these cases with seriousness," she said.
National police spokesperson deputy commissioner Kauna Shikwambi advises parents to do better to ensure the safety of their children.
"These types of incidents can be avoided and are very saddening and unacceptable, because they mainly occur due to a lack of supervision.
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"Imagine a child drowning in a bucket of oshikundu (traditional brew). Our children are very vulnerable, and their lives are precious, therefore as parents and communities we should safeguard and ensure children are safe and protected at all times," she says.
The governors of the Omusati and Ohangwena regions, where a high number of child drownings have been reported, are cautioning parents to take extra care when it comes to endangering environments.
"It is clear that toddlers are curious about everything, because they are new to everything. When they fall into buckets it is hard for a child to get out. Parents need to be extra careful," Ohangwena governor Walde Ndevashiya says.
Omusati governor Erginus Endjala says people should not leave their children unattended and should also ensure that whoever they choose to leave them with is responsible.
"It is irresponsible to go out and leave small kids to themselves," he says.
