By John Muyamba
RUNDU – A 32-year-old man appeared in the Rundu Magistrate’s Court on Monday after being arrested for trying to sell his 11-year-old son for N$75 000.
The suspect who is the biological father of the boy was identified as Diyeve Anton Ditembero. He was arrested at around 15h00 during a sting operation last Friday in Kehemu location in Rundu where he lives.
According to the police the suspect was arrested by an undercover policeman who pretended to be an interested buyer after getting information from an informant that the suspect was selling his son. The undercover policeman paid the suspect N$1 500 as deposit.
According to a source, Diyeve is unemployed and has 18 children from five different women.
He allegedly wanted to sell the child he has with a San woman. He wanted to sell his San-speaking son alive for N$75 000 and N$90 000 if the buyer wanted him dead for body parts.
Diyeve said he once heard that people sell people so he just wanted to make some money as well.
He decided to communicate his plans through cellphone text messages but the police got wind of his intentions and arrested him after pretending to be buyers.
In Kavango regions there are stories of people being suspected of killing others and selling body parts for rituals. The information is all over the Kavango regions although the police have never come up with something concrete to act on.
The case of Diyeve was postponed to 2 October for further police investigations and for the suspect to acquire a legal representative.
Diyeve remains in police custody as he was denied bail by Magistrate Helen Polaiya. Prosecutor Maria N N Andimba represented the State.
Meanwhile in Kavango West, an 84-year-old female pensioner committed suicide last Friday. It was alleged the victim hanged herself with a piece of cloth from a tree branch at an unknown time and she died on the spot.
The incident happened at Nkaka Village in Kavango West and investigations continue.