A 68-year-old woman is in anguish, claiming that her brother allegedly deceived her to sell two separate stretches of land in Ongwediva without her authorisation and without her having received any compensation.
As such, Hilka Shindove said she has no place to call home after all her belongings were destroyed by people sent by the Chinese businessperson, who claims to have bought the land from her brother, a police officer.
When contacted by New Era, the brother, Salom Shindobe, said his sister should open a case.
“If she knows that I sold her land, she should just go to the police and request for my arrest,” said Shindobe.
He further refused to comment until the matter is settled in court, and he was unwilling to provide the name or phone number of the Chinese businessperson who allegedly purchased the property.
Meanwhile, Shindove, who wants the court to resolve the matter, alleged this is not the first time her brother sold her land.
She accused him of a similar offence when he sold the land where her traditional house was built, located where the newly-built Ongwediva Woerman brock is situated.
“Right after he sold my field, we moved to my second place, situated at the Ongwediva Guava Centre. He later showed up, threatening that he would still sell my current place as he did to the first one,” Shindove wept.
She narrated how Shindobe and the Chinese national instructed a throng of men to demolish the house where she lived with her children and grandchildren.
“I wasn’t home the moment they arrived for the demolition of my house. There was only my grandchild present, and he was told to leave the house and allow the men to destroy the structures without any interventions,” she said.
“A lot is lost due to the demolition of our place. Now, my kids are just roaming the streets. We had rooms for rent at that place, and they are all gone as we speak,” Shindove stated.
She also accused her brother of selling her livestock without her consent.
According to Shindove, she has been living under constant threats from her brother ever since 2002.
“I did not receive any share from what Shindobe got from the sale of my two lands. He got paid and bought his cars while I am out here suffering with my children,” she said.
She now claims reimbursement of N$6 million for her lost property.
Shindove’s daughter, Maria Uushona, told New Era she lost most of her belongings, as they were destroyed when their house was demolished.
Ongwediva mayor Taarah Shalyefu told New Era that in 2007, Shindove signed payment papers and was compensated for her land.
“Shindove visited my office on Thursday, complaining about the nature of this land matter. We showed her the paper that she signed in agreement to sell her field,” Shalyefu said.
The mayor added the Ongwediva Town Council would assist Shindove with another piece of land to construct her house to compensate for the land allegedly sold to a Chinese businessperson.
He added that Shindove and Shindobe need to sit and find solutions to the issue of the land allegedly sold illegally.
However, Shindove denied that payments were ever made in exchange for her land in 2007.
“Town council must state the truth. My bank records do not have any evidence of such payments from the town council,” Shindove claimed.
– fhamalwa@nepc.com.na