THE Office of the Prosecutor General has removed state prosecutors at the Mariental Magistrate's Court from the case of Johan Meyer (50), who is suspected of having caused the death of Hendriena Mupolo (9) by running her over three weeks ago.
In a letter read on Martha Imalwa's behalf by advocate Dolien//Gowases to the Mariental community on Friday, the prosecutor general said Mariental's public prosecutors will not be handling the case any longer.
"The docket of this case has already been submitted to my office in Windhoek, and any decisions made on this docket going further will also be done by the PG's office," Imalwa said.
She said her office has also requested the inspector general of the police, Sebastian Ndeitunga, to appoint an investigating officer from outside Mariental to further investigate the case.
Imalwa said since the docket was handed over to her office, it is being attended to by senior advocates from the senior crime investigations unit.
"Dear family members of the late Hendriena Mupolo, I implore you to be patient in this difficult and emotional time. Please give the police time to do thorough investigations and gather all relevant evidence and information pertaining to her death . . .
"If you can do that, it will enable my office in Windhoek to take the correct decision in this case," she said.
Community members who staged a demonstration at Mariental on Friday were, however, dissapointed that the suspect has not been rearrested and that his bail has not been revoked.
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The spokesperson of the group of protesters, Brenda Rooi, said: "Today we stand as community, feeling disheartened and distraught. The police, prosecutors and magistrate at Mariental, you have failed us."
She said the community is displeased with the responses they have received from control prosecutor Erik Naikako to whom they handed over their first petition 20 days ago.
The community members returned twice in the past two weeks for a response to their demands.
Imalwa said as the matter is still under investigation she cannot comment on all the matters they have raised.
Former councillor Barakias Namwandi, who accompanied the protestors, said: "We want justice and peace in this country. But those who are offending cannot just go scot-free and sit peacefully at their houses, while we are watching how our children are dying. We want this man arrested, because a crime is a crime."
Chistine Ruhl, whose son was alleged chased by Meyer during the incident on 1 May, said she will not have peace until Meyer is rearrested.
"My own son is still having sleepless nights about that ordeal. If he does not wake up screaming about Hendriena, he wakes up sweating, remembering his own ordeal. We will stay here until Meyer is arrested," she said.
The protesters resolved to demonstrate every Friday until Meyer is rearrested.
