Join hands against murder

Solidarity. This is what Clinton Lang, organiser of the upcoming silent protest at the Swakopmund magistrates court, wishes to see. “We are fed up with the rising crime wave. We want to show solidarity,” he told namib times this week.

The silent protest will start on Tuesday (26 September) at 09:00 at the Amphitheatre and coincides with the court appearance of the three suspects accused of murdering Siegfried Paul Helmuth Strzelecki (82) and his wifeSieglinde (79) at the beginning of August. After meeting at the Amphitheatre all attendees will move in front of the court.
“There will not be a petition that the whole town signs. The event focuses on the town showing solidarity”, Lang continued. To show solidarity, all attendees will hold hands at 10:00 and form a human chain in the area. “We want to show the people that we are all together and that we, as a town, show that this is very serious,” he added.
The silent protest is called “A Peaceful Swakopmund For All.”
Lang encourages attendees to wear white as this is the universal symbol of peace. “I am overwhelmed at how many people have contacted me, who are eager to be part of this event”, Land said. Some Swakopmund businesses have announced that they will close their shops on Tuesday so that their staff can attend.
Lang’s initiative was born after the brutal murder of the Strzelecki couple on 2 August. Two suspects entered their house and initially attacked Roswitha Strzelecki, resulting in her death. They then turned to her husband and threatened and assaulted him. They stole a cellphone, sandals and N$1 000 in cash before fleeing the scene.
Siegfried Strzelecki succumbed to injuries sustained in the attack a few days after the incident. The police managed to arrest the alleged killers and an accomplice shortly after the attack and also managed to recover all stolen items.
Shortly after the murder, another Swakopmund pensioner, Manfred Hartmann, was found murdered in his house. The main suspect in this matter was arrested at Outjo. He was allegedly resisting arrest, which resulted in him allegedly being shot in the leg. He has been admitted to a hospital in Windhoek and has not yet appeared in court in Swakopmund, on account he is still recovering.
The killing of the elderly residents is not the only senseless murders in Swakopmund this year. Several other people lost their lives at the hands of cold blooded individuals who could not care taking an innocent life and in the process causing hundreds of relatives and friends heart ache and loss.