Attack leaves security guard maimed, jobless

A SECURITY firm has come under fire after the former owners allegedly “dumped” an employee who was left speech impaired after he was attacked while on duty.

Edward Kandovazu (45) has been unable to speak since robbers shot him through the jaw while he was on duty for VO Security in January last year. Kandovazu gave The Namibian a written statement in which he claims that he was left unarmed to guard a house in Olympia on January 28, when four strangers beat him up and and shot at him.The bullet went through his jaw and tongue and left the body on the right side of his face.The criminals left him to die but he managed to struggle to the door of the owners and woke them up.He was taken to the Katutura Hospital and was later transferred to the Roman Catholic Hospital.Medical records in Kandovazu’s possession indicate that he spent a month in hospital, clocking up a bill of N$92 795,52.The Social Security Commission paid N$82 497,03 of the bill, while the hospital wrote off the remaining N$10 298,49.Kandovazu claimed that the company’s former owners never visited him in hospital nor did they inform him about his job status.The last salary he received was before he was attacked.In the written statement, Kandovazu claimed that he had made several visits to VO Security but had been unable to get an audience with his former employers – a certain van Niekerk couple.He claimed that the husband told him that he would not receive a cent from them.Since June 23, The Namibian has made several calls to the company to get comment from the Van Niekerk couple and also spoke to the wife who denied the claims.She referred all enquiries to an unnamed individual whom she said would call the paper back.In the meantime, the couple has sold the company to someone else.The new owner said they had an agreement with the Van Niekerk couple that they would take care of anything that happened before the sale.In the meantime, Kandovazu remains “hopeless”.”My social standing has diminished as a result of my relegation from normal standing to disability.My ageing mother, whom I have been assisting, is suddenly left with no helper and the bread of my children taken out of their mouths,” he said.He said the incident had left his family “hungry, lacking and naked” and soon they would be without shelter because he could not pay for their accommodation.”Please get me my salaries from January 2003 and compensation from the security company and Mr van Niekerk,” he pleaded.Kandovazu gave The Namibian a written statement in which he claims that he was left unarmed to guard a house in Olympia on January 28, when four strangers beat him up and and shot at him.The bullet went through his jaw and tongue and left the body on the right side of his face.The criminals left him to die but he managed to struggle to the door of the owners and woke them up.He was taken to the Katutura Hospital and was later transferred to the Roman Catholic Hospital.Medical records in Kandovazu’s possession indicate that he spent a month in hospital, clocking up a bill of N$92 795,52.The Social Security Commission paid N$82 497,03 of the bill, while the hospital wrote off the remaining N$10 298,49.Kandovazu claimed that the company’s former owners never visited him in hospital nor did they inform him about his job status.The last salary he received was before he was attacked.In the written statement, Kandovazu claimed that he had made several visits to VO Security but had been unable to get an audience with his former employers – a certain van Niekerk couple.He claimed that the husband told him that he would not receive a cent from them.Since June 23, The Namibian has made several calls to the company to get comment from the Van Niekerk couple and also spoke to the wife who denied the claims.She referred all enquiries to an unnamed individual whom she said would call the paper back.In the meantime, the couple has sold the company to someone else.The new owner said they had an agreement with the Van Niekerk couple that they would take care of anything that happened before the sale.In the meantime, Kandovazu remains “hopeless”.”My social standing has diminished as a result of my relegation from normal standing to disability.My ageing mother, whom I have been assisting, is suddenly left with no helper and the bread of my children taken out of their mouths,” he said.He said the incident had left his family “hungry, lacking and naked” and soon they would be without shelter because he could not pay for their accommodation.”Please get me my salaries from January 2003 and compensation from the security company and Mr van Niekerk,” he pleaded.