Namibia’s agriculture minister sacked …accused of raping 16-year-old girl five years ago
The was nominated to parliament by the president to represent the ruling party, Swapo was arrested on Saturday after allegedly attempting to bribe the victim, now 21, to withdraw the case against him, the police said.
Mr Hengari, 59, who has denied any wrongdoing, appeared in court on Monday and was denied bail.
This is the first major scandal for Namibia’s first female President, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, since she took office last month.
The statement from the president’s office did not indicate the reasons for the dismissal but said Hengari had also been dismissed from the National Assembly.
He is under investigation for multiple charges related to the case including kidnapping, rape and assault, police said.
On Monday he appeared before a magistrates’ court in the capital Windhoek facing a charge of obstructing the course of justice.
He and his co-accused will remain in custody until June 3 when the next hearing is scheduled. They were denied bail on the grounds that they could be a flight risk and could seek to contact witnesses.
The opposition Independent Patriots for Change said Hengari’sarrest “on allegations of rape, kidnapping and forced abortion” was a “profound failure of leadership and exposes the hollowness of government rhetoric on gender-based violence”.
—BBC
