Taimi Haihambo 

HELAO NAFIDI – Paulina Nghipunya (35) an inmate at Windhoek Correctional Facility, shared her painful life story on Saturday during the second edition of the Namibian Women’s Conference. 

The conference took place at the Helao Nafidi Business Expo Centre with the aim of raising awareness about gender-based violence (GBV). 

Nghipunya revealed that while she is a GBV survivor, her trauma and despair led her to take the life of her three-week-old baby, a crime for which she is serving a 10-year prison sentence. She has already completed four years and 10 months. 

Growing up, Nghipunya said she was surrounded by abuse. She was allegedly raised by her namesake who was trapped in a toxic relationship. When that relationship ended, she moved in with her grandmother. But financial hardship later forced her to relocate to Windhoek and live with her mother. 

“My mother did not like me. She forced me to start sleeping with older men so they could support the lifestyle we lived,” she recalled. 

At 17, a man gave her money to move to Walvis Bay. There, at 19, she met a partner she loved and gave birth to her first child. But happiness was short-lived. 

“When my child turned one, the father became abusive physically, mentally, emotionally and even sexually,” she said. Depending on him financially, she felt trapped. 

She left for her grandmother’s home but later returned to him due to financial struggles. She soon became pregnant again, and the abuse worsened. 

“He called me ugly and said I was just eating his food. My firstborn, only four years old, would sometimes comfort me,” she said. 

When she gave birth to her second child in 2013, the father rejected her and told her never to call again. 

Her grandmother later kicked her out, pushing her into deep despair. After being chased out by her grandmother, Nghipunya said her mind “went dark”. 

“I took my three-week-old baby and my four-year-old son and walked to a water pan. I threw my baby into the water, wrapped the lifeless body in nappies, dug a hole, and buried the child. Shortly after, I was arrested,” she recounted with tears. 

In prison, Nghipunya started a sewing course, which she is excited to continue after release. She hopes to start a sewing business and build a new life. 

She joined rehabilitation programmes such as The Journey of Women Behind Bars, which helped her heal, remove guilt, and rebuild her life. 

“I have gone through a lot, but I still have hope for a better future. I have learnt better ways to solve problems instead of taking matters into my own hands,” she said. 

Speaking in the same region where she committed her crime, Nghipunya urged parents to love and care for their children and never let others raise them. She also pleaded with mothers not to punish children out of anger towards their fathers. 

Nghipunya has one year left to serve before she is released on parole, and she said she cannot wait to go and reunite with her son again. 

-taimihaihambo2000@gmail.com