Guesthouse robbery aftermath: Elderly couple still in shock, four suspects released

The owners of the Chala-Kigi Guesthouse in the Swakopmund suburb Kramersdorf are still reeling in shock after four armed suspects stormed the property on Thursday evening, beating the elderly couple and robbing them and some guests of their personal belongings. Suspects apprehended shortly after the incident were released as there were no concrete evidence against them.
The incident has left many scars on the owners of the guesthouse, as well as the three tourists who were on holiday in Namibia. When namib times visited the scene yesterday one tourist was still under such immense shock, that she mulled cancelling the rest of her vacation in Namibia and travel back home to Germany.
“It was a normal evening and we were enjoying a sundowner on the patio when suddenly four men, each holding a gun, stared down at me,” said the owner of the guesthouse to namib times. It was still early in the evening and only a few minutes after 21:00. “It was like an armada standing in front of me.” In her eyes one can see the absolute horror of the nightmare as she relives it. Her husband had just gone inside. The suspects were demanding money.
Three of the suspects had their faces covered, a fourth man, who she described as a young man, did not wear anything to protect his identity. It was the same man who pointed his gun at her husband’s face in the kitchen when he looked up. “It was then that another suspect said: ‘Don’t do it’,” the victim recalls. Both the owners are in their 70s.
The suspects took the victims to the bathroom where they were guarded. Both owners, as well as one of the tourists were beaten. “They stole all my jewellery. They ripped my ring off my finger and I thought they would break my hand,” she said. Her husband, who will be celebrating his 75 birthday this year still, was taken to the safe and repeatedly beaten over the head with a pistol while they demanded the key. They stole more valuables from the safe, including two more weapons. “They continued beating him until he played dead,” she continued. “There was blood everywhere.”
Shortly afterwards they fled the scene. It is suspected that the culprits gained entrance by climbing over a wall, even though spikes are attached to the top. Both the owners were taken to hospital and treated for multiple lacerations on their head. “I do not wear any jewellery anymore. I do not think I’ll ever wear some again,” the victim continued.
Initial reports indicated that the suspects fled the scene in a black BMW with registration number
N 104-643 W. The car was spotted in town on Friday and four passengers were arrested and questioned. “They were later released. There was not enough evidence to charge them,” said Deputy Commissioner Ottilie Kashuupulwa yesterday. She added that the investigation is still ongoing.
“We’ve had enough. We worry and we have to do something,” said prominent Swakopmund business man and the owner of various accommodation establishments Danie Holloway. He added that soon there will be a high-profile meeting with various other stakeholders involved in tourism in Swakopmund to address this issue. “Tourism is the main source of income for Swakopmund and we need to protect it. We need to act,” he said. Holloway was visiting the guesthouse yesterday to offer his support to the victims.