Pensioner fined for defending widow

AN 86-year-old man from Omadhiya village in the Oshikoto Region and his daughter have been fined N$1 300 and N$600 respectively by the village court for protecting a widow against their headman, who does not want her to give a piece of her land to her son.

Onesimus Gabriel (86), assisted by his wife Ruusa Shipanga (53), came to The Namibian recently, complaining that village headman Petrus Shikongo sha Ndjuluwa had fined them N$1 900 for not obeying his orders. According to Gabriel, he and his friend Kandjimi Holongo, who was married to Paulina Henock and died in 1981, went to stay at Omadhiya village in 1952.They were given their mahangu fields by the then Omadhiya village headman Nepando Nehoya, who died in 1968 and was succeeded by headman Petrus Ndjuluwa Nenkete, who died in 1990.Nenkete was succeeded by headman Petenen Angula, who died in 2005 and was in turn succeeded by the current village headman, Petrus Shikongo sha Ndjuluwa in 2006.The headman now wants to take the land from Holongo’s widow, Paulina Henock, saying that it does not belong to her and he has the right to give it to another villager.”I know for sure, that piece of land that our new headman Ndjuluwa wants to take away from meme Henock belongs to her and her late husband Kandjimi Holongo and no one, even the headman, has the right according to our traditional laws to take that land away from her,” Gabriel says.He said Ndjuluwa and other village headmen in the area are collaborating to grab the land from Henock.According to Henock, the land belongs to her and her children.”This is my land, my late husband Holongo left it for us, and is not fair that somebody else says it is his.This is really unfair from a leader of a traditional authority,” she said.Gabriel told The Namibian that the headman also wanted a piece of Gabriel’s mahangu field but was denied this.Ndjuluwa allegedly tried to prevent Gabriel’s daughter, Ester Gabriel, from ploughing a section of her mahangu field but did not succeed in that either.According to Gabriel, the headman became angry with him and his daughters, described them as troublemakers and said they would be punished for not following his orders.Gabriel said he and his daughter had complained to District Senior Headwoman Nekulu Elifas and to the Ondonga Traditional Authority Office about the fines, but were not given a chance to state their case.The Namibian could not reach headman Ndjuluwa for comment.The spokesperson of the Ondonga Traditional Authority, Senior Headman Boas Mweendeleli, said he was not aware of the case but would investigate it.According to Gabriel, he and his friend Kandjimi Holongo, who was married to Paulina Henock and died in 1981, went to stay at Omadhiya village in 1952.They were given their mahangu fields by the then Omadhiya village headman Nepando Nehoya, who died in 1968 and was succeeded by headman Petrus Ndjuluwa Nenkete, who died in 1990.Nenkete was succeeded by headman Petenen Angula, who died in 2005 and was in turn succeeded by the current village headman, Petrus Shikongo sha Ndjuluwa in 2006.The headman now wants to take the land from Holongo’s widow, Paulina Henock, saying that it does not belong to her and he has the right to give it to another villager.”I know for sure, that piece of land that our new headman Ndjuluwa wants to take away from meme Henock belongs to her and her late husband Kandjimi Holongo and no one, even the headman, has the right according to our traditional laws to take that land away from her,” Gabriel says.He said Ndjuluwa and other village headmen in the area are collaborating to grab the land from Henock.According to Henock, the land belongs to her and her children.”This is my land, my late husband Holongo left it for us, and is not fair that somebody else says it is his.This is really unfair from a leader of a traditional authority,” she said.Gabriel told The Namibian that the headman also wanted a piece of Gabriel’s mahangu field but was denied this.Ndjuluwa allegedly tried to prevent Gabriel’s daughter, Ester Gabriel, from ploughing a section of her mahangu field but did not succeed in that either.According to Gabriel, the headman became angry with him and his daughters, described them as troublemakers and said they would be punished for not following his orders.Gabriel said he and his daughter had complained to District Senior Headwoman Nekulu Elifas and to the Ondonga Traditional Authority Office about the fines, but were not given a chance to state their case.The Namibian could not reach headman Ndjuluwa for comment.The spokesperson of the Ondonga Traditional Authority, Senior Headman Boas Mweendeleli, said he was not aware of the case but would investigate it.