Kaaronda’s ex-lover claims abuse

A 24-YEAR-OLD woman claiming to have been unionist Evilastus Kaaronda’s girlfriend has reported him to the police for alleged abuse.

Claudia Toromba (24), a student at a vocational training college in Windhoek, has approached the Woman and Child Protection Unit to deal with her case.

In a statement, a copy of which The Namibian has, Toromba, from Otjinene, alleges that Kaaronda subjected her to sexual, emotional and physical abuse. She also alleges that she fell pregnant and Kaaronda forced her to abort the twins she was expecting, and threw her out of his house.

The Namibian met Toromba on Wednesday when she confirmed that she had reported Kaaronda to the police and that she had indeed written the unsigned and undated statement.

Kaaronda could neither confirm nor deny the relationship, saying The Namibian can get details of the case from the courts. He also alleges that a person, whom he could not name, at the Woman and Child Protection Unit, who dealt with the case had asked for a N$6 000 bribe, which he refused to pay. Kaaronda believes that the unnamed person has leaked the story to The Namibian.

“If you want to do a proper job, go to the court and find out how long this case has been going on,” Kaaronda said and hung up.

The Namibian could not establish how long the case Kaaronda referred to has been on the court roll. There was also no one to confirm whether it was true that an officer in the Woman and Child Protection Unit had asked for a bribe as alleged by Kaaronda.

Katutura Police Station commander Chief Inspector Ismael Basson confirmed that the two had problems, and that Kaaronda had a protection order against Toromba. Basson also said Kaaronda would call the police every time he had problems to remove Toromba from his house.

According to Toromba, they met in February 2011. Kaaronda proposed to her and she moved in with him. But the situation changed for the worse when she fell pregnant, she says.

“He told me he doesn’t want to have a baby with a Bushman. He forced me to abort the babies. He first gave me money and when I was seven months pregnant, he bought pills and gave them to me to insert in my body,” Toromba claims.

She also says Kaaronda promised her that if she induced an abortion, they could continue with the relationship but that he threw her out of his Khomasdal house when she refused to terminate the pregnancy.

At that point, Toromba says, her friend offered her a place to stay. When she was seven months pregnant, she decided to undergo the abortion but Kaaronda did not know about it.

Toromba further says her friend suggested they should tell Kaaronda she had not aborted the babies. To make him believe this, she says: “I asked my cousin who also had twins to give me her kids so I that can show him what it is to have a twin (sic).”

When Kaaronda was told about the plan by her friend, Toromba says, he forgave her and they got back together again until late 2012 when she started having health problems.

Toromba further says she also tried to report the matter to the police in the same year, and when Kaaronda heard about it, he threw her out of his house again.

“He asked me to look for a room to rent and he will pay for me (sic)… From there, he stopped paying my rent because he did not have work by that time,” she says, adding that she moved back with Kaaronda.

At one time, she writes, Kaaronda’s ex-wife beat her when she found them together in bed. The situation deteriorated afterwards when Kaaronda would beat her and she would destroy his things in retaliation.

“He opened a case against me and applied for the protection order while we were staying together. Sometimes he would lock me outside (sic),” she further writes in the statement.

When she finally left the house, she claims that Kaaronda would still call her back to sleep over, and throw her out afterwards. She also claims that he paid rent for her room.

“He calls me to his place and have (sic) sex with me and ask me to leave his place or call the police to come and remove me. The police used to take me and let me sleep at the police station and in the morning they release me (sic). I went to report this case to Mr Basson 2 times and he did not do anything about it. He used to talk privately to Kaaronda and ask (sic) me to go back home.

“I am deeply hurt and lost this is too much I need help (sic). This is very unfair and difficult for me sometimes I feel (sic) being a bushman is committing a crime. Please help,” she writes.

In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.