ONGWEDIVA - Trouble is brewing in Nelombo C village in the Omusati region where some residents allegedly built shebeens in the field of an elderly woman without her permission.

Helena Kanime’s son Elias Tomas shared his plight with New Era, saying in 2018, two local businessmen decided to put up shebeens in their field, which, at the time, was not fenced.

Although he has reported the matter to the headman and the Omungwelume police, he said he was turned away abruptly as they “do not handle land disputes”.

“We then decided to fence off our land, after which the authority, including the senior headman of the Oukwanyama Traditional Authority and the acting headman destroyed our fence and damaged our fencing materials,” he said.

Tomas also claimed the acting headman, senior headman, and the police are in cahoots with the shebeen owners as they also hang out at those shebeens.

Approached for a comment, senior headman Moses Iyambula confirmed that he removed the fence because there has always been a public road even before they [Tomas family] were allocated that land.

“The fence was blocking people from passing by and I decided to remove it because the road has always been there even before he was born. Who does he think he is to prohibit the public from the road which they have been using for decades?” asked Iyambula.

However, Iyambula refused to comment further on the issue of the shebeens which prompted Tomas and his family to close off the entire land.

“I was only involved in the public road disputes but not shebeens. That one he should go solve with the headman first. Anyway, I am for the development and progress of my villages,” he added.

“The occupied land was going to be used for our mahangu productions but now we are limited to plough through it. My mother who is a pensioner is so distressed as her rights to her own land were taken away and she has nowhere to report this as people we entrust to lead us are turning us away,” Tomas lamented.

He said he also tried filing the complaint with the ombudsman, and he was told to approach the High Court, who also said they do not deal with land disputes.

Tomas told New Era he is living in constant fear of his life as he was told by one of the traditional authority members that if he does not stop fighting for that land, he “will die soon”.

“I received death threats from people who are elected to support, lead and take care of the public. I am just fighting for what is rightfully ours,” he added.

The acting headman, Simeon Hamutenya and the owner of the shebeens were not available for comment.

Constituency councillor for Etayi, Hans Haikali said he was not aware of the situation but clarified that such cases are solved within the traditional authority.

- ashikololo@nepc.com.na