ONGENGA – A family at Oshikuyu village in Ohangwena region is reeling from shock after a mentally ill relative allegedly attacked members of his own family with a panga, killing his 88-year-old grandmother and seriously injuring two other family members aged seven and 14. The village is in the Ongenga constituency. According to police Deputy Commissioner Melanie Mburu, after hacking his grandmother, the suspect pushed her into a fire and set her alight.
Police further reported that the suspect cut off his grandmother’s hands.
A 14-year-old niece attempted to help her grandmother but was struck on the head. He also attacked and injured a seven-year-old nephew.
She later ran to her father’s workplace to report the incident.
The suspect has since been admitted to the psychiatric unit at Oshakati Intermediate Hospital.
When New Era visited the homestead, Mwahafa Herman, the son of Paulina Nawa, who was murdered by her allegedly mentally ill grandson, shared his emotional account.
He was not present at the start of the incident.
“I was at work when it happened. My daughter, who had been injured in the head, came to my workplace, which is nearby, to inform me,” he said.
He then rushed home to the scene.
“I found my mother in the fire. I pulled her out, she was still breathing but unable to speak,” he said tearfully.
Herman also confirmed seeing his mother’s severed hands placed nearby. She died later that afternoon at Oshakati Intermediate Hospital.
Herman said the suspect did not live with them but had come to visit his grandmother the previous Wednesday.
“He seemed happy to see her,” Herman recalled.
Also speaking to New Era, a 10-year-old boy who was not home at the time having been sent to a nearby shebeen, described how the suspect had arrived with a new panga.
“They came home in the afternoon with my mother, who lives in a house opposite our homestead,” he said.
The boy recalled how the suspect carried the panga, and his mother tried to take it from him, but he resisted.
The attack occurred following morning at around 10:00.
“Had I been home, he might have attacked me too,” the boy said with tears in his eyes.
Another villager told New Era he had shared a taxi with the suspect from Oshakati.
One of the passengers questioned why the suspect carried a panga in public, and the suspect reportedly replied: “This panga is going to perform a miracle.”
Five people have died in a space of two years, allegedly at the hands of their relatives suffering from mental illnesses in the Ohangwena region alone.
The Councilor of Ongenga Constituency, Mathew Shikongo, confirmed the tragic incidents – all of which were committed in his constituency.
Other incidences
Other incidents in Ongenga Constituency this year include a 64-year-old man who was stabbed to death by his mentally ill son at Okapumbu village.
At Eengwena village, a 73-year-old woman was allegedly killed by her mentally ill grandson, while at Onakaholo village, two minors were killed by a mentally ill man last year.
In another incident at Onghala B village, a 27-year-old man was admitted to a psychiatric ward after attempting to kill his parents.
Two weeks ago, in Endola village, a 35-year-old man locked himself inside his sleeping room and burnt it.
Police said he was armed with a knife and intended to harm his housemates.
In Oshana region, a 24-year-old man was admitted to a psychiatric unit after he went to a school, vandalized a teacher’s vehicle, and damaged classroom windows.
Families living with mentally ill relatives say they live in constant fear of being attacked. Neighbours and children also live in fear, as the environment is not safe for them.
Police have urged guardians to ensure that relatives with mental illnesses take their medication as prescribed and receive proper care.
Community members are encouraged to immediately alert the police if they notice anyone showing signs of mental illness, in order to prevent tragedies.
Community members have appealed to the government to build more psychiatric wards in each region so that more patients can be accommodated.
They said that despite taking medication, people with mental illness should not stay in public spaces especially where children and the elderly are present.