Pastor asks Namibians for spirit of forgiveness at Möller-funeral

More than 200 mourners paid their last respects in the Swakopmund cemetery on Sunday morning to Mr. Hans Jörg Möller, the wellknown businessman and aviator who was gunned down and killed in an armed robbery in his Walvis Bay home on 17 June (picture: Möller’s daughters at his casket).

With her two young daughters at her side the late Mr. Möller’s wife, Mrs. Carol-Anne Möller bid her husband farewell at the graveside on Sunday shortly after four aeroplanes flew a missing-man formation over the cemetery.
Mrs. Möller was seriously injured in the fatal armed robbery last month when six intruders allegedly mercilessly assaulted and threatened her and the couple’s young daughters in their search for cash and other valuables. Mr. Möller who was asleep at the time was woken by the cries and pleads and was shot by one of the intruders who were arrested in the meantime along with four other of his suspected accomplices.
Mr. Möller died trying to protect his family against the intruders whom not only came with evil intentions, but did so cowardly to engage the couple in numbers and armed with at least one firearm.
Emotions were still raw and confused on Sunday as pastor Joachim Rick of the East Side Baptist Church in (Windhoek) addressed funeralgoers in his sermon. He said it is important to name the murder of Mr. Möller as an evil deed carried out by scrupulous men and that it should not be sugar coated in kind words.
He urged funeralgoers though to refrain from harbouring thoughts of hatred and retaliation, but to embark on the road of forgiveness and prayer, “as Jesus Christ once forgave his murderers in the shadow of death on the cross”.
Pastor Rick insisted Mr. Möller’s death cannot be in vain and challenged “something good must come from this tragic incident”. Pastor Rick reiterated that senseless murders and other acts of violence dump Namibians of all walks of life and cultural backgrounds into sorrow and suffering on an almost daily basis. He called for Namibians to leave justice to take its course, live in Christian ways regardless and to leave judgment to God.
The picture with this article shows exactly the senselessness of violence – the Möller family left devastated and with loss after the murder of Hans Jörg Möller. Also the senselessness in that Möller’s suspected killer, Gottlieb Panduleni’s (30) life too is effectively over facing a lengthy prison sentence if convicted along with his accomplices of murder, attempted murder and robbery with aggravating circumstances, amongst more charges.