More than a year after Roswinds Fabianu (6) was raped and murdered at Okahandja, her family thought the only thing left to do was wait for justice.
Instead, they have been forced to relive their trauma after discovering that her grave site had been set on fire.
"I'm aware that my daughter's grave was set on fire. I'm not happy about it. I can't even describe how I'm feeling at the moment. I had hoped that my daughter's killer would be caught, and I kept praying for that. Then this happened," Roswinds' mother, Helaria Nghipunya, says.
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Nghipunya, who lives at Rehoboth, says she learnt about the incident from a cousin at Okahandja after posting a WhatsApp status on 25 April, marking one year since her daughter's death.
"My cousin replied and told me she had recently visited the cemetery and that the grave did not look good," she says.
The family unveiled Roswinds' tombstone on 18 September last year, the day she would have celebrated her seventh birthday.
"When my cousin went to the cemetery, she saw that the grave had been burnt. She asked the security guard what had happened and he told her people had been burning a snake. She did not ask any further questions. She just took pictures and sent them to me," she says.
The grieving mother says the family now plans to open a case at the police.
"I spoke to one of my aunts, and she said she would speak to the mayor of Okahandja. When I followed up a few days later, she told me the mayor has still not responded," Nghipunya says.
"I just feel the police are not doing enough to catch the killer. Nothing is happening with the case. They are quiet and they are not even communicating with us," she says.
Roswinds was reported missing on 24 April 2025 after she disappeared on her way to school from her home at Okahandja's Klein Saamstaan area.
Her aunt, Roswinds Ernestu, says the family continues to cry every day.
"The people of Okahandja are hurting us," she says.
Fabianu's uncle, Nghidipo Vatilifa, says he learnt about the damaged grave site after a relative contacted him while he was in the north.
He says he had not yet visited the cemetery when he received pictures of the scene.
The incident has also angered some Okahandja residents.
Chairperson of the Okahandja Concerned Group and activist Seth Gariseb says the burning of the grave site has renewed calls for justice and better security.
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"We are unhappy because we still don't know who killed the child and now someone has gone as far as burning her grave. It is heartbreaking for the family and for the community," he says.
Okahandja spokesperson Master Pena says the municipality is not aware of the matter.
"From the municipality's side, we are not aware of anything like that. The family has not reached out to us," he says.
