Mother with visually impaired toddler pleads for help

• TEKLA NAKALE
UHUKUA Mbamanovandu (30), who is nursing a visually impaired child, is struggling to make ends meet.

The toddler is a year and nine months old and still relies on formula milk as a main source of nutrition.

Mbamanovandu has been 'unemployable' since she lost a kidney in an attack by a former live-in partner some five years ago.

Her condition means she is unable to stand for long or carry heavy loads – all tasks integral to the domestic work she used to do.

From her shack in Windhoek's 7de Laan informal settlement, Mbamanovandu recounts how a man she once loved has caused her untold misery.

“Even though it happened in 2017, I remember the incident as if it was yesterday. With every move I make, pain shoots through my entire body,” she says. At the time of the attack, Mbamanovandu was nine months pregnant.

VICIOUS ATTACK

It started with an argument which soon heated up. The result was countless beatings which have left her with not only physical scars, but emotional ones too.

“I was out of the house when he called me to come back immediately. When I arrived, he pulled me inside the room and hit me so many times I passed out.

“He left me there, lying hopelessly on the floor, while he fled to the north,” Mbamanovandu says.

She was rushed to hospital shortly after the incident, where she had to undergo an operation.

Unfortunately, one of her kidneys had to be removed.

She also lost her unborn child.

Mbamanovandu says although she intended to report the matter to the police, she never got around to doing so due to prolonged hospital visits in addition to dealing with the trauma of losing her child.

By the time she thought of seeking justice, she felt it was too late, and her abuser was nowhere to be found.

MOVING ON

But she was strong enough to move on with her life and find love again with Ngumeritiza Tjombe (30), whom she now believes is her soulmate.

Tjombe, who is also unemployed, is the father of Mbamanovandu's child.

They have been struggling to not only provide for the toddler, but also for themselves as they often go to bed on empty stomachs.

Tjombe, who has proven to be handy with tools, does get occasional jobs which provide some form of income for the family.

At times he resorts to cleaning people's yards in nearby residential areas.

“I try. We all do, but it's never enough. Mostly we get help from people in the community, but they can only do so much. We can't always rely on people to give us food. We need to be given the chance to provide for ourselves,” he says.

Tjombe said a do-gooder, who does not want to be named or interviewed, has been providing the family with baby formula and some basic food on an ad-hoc basis.

“The pain that man put her through is unbearable. Such men need to be severely punished by the law. But we have put that behind us and are focused on the future.

“We need to get jobs to maintain ourselves and provide special care for our child,” he says.

Rinaani Musutua, a trustee of the Economic and Social Justice Trust, says Mbamanovandu's situation is sad and is just one of many things Namibians endure despite being in a country full of resources.

She says the wealth of such resources is yet to trickle down to the masses who need them the most.

“Namibia is capable of taking care of its people. We can all live decent human lives, but greed and corruption must be cured first before we can do that,” she says.

Musutua, an advocate of the introduction of a basic income grant (BIG) to tackle poverty, says Mbamanovandu's burden to survive would have been lessened by a BIG.

“This is someone who is clearly willing to work, but not able to do so. She needs help to be able to help herself,” she says.

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.