A woman and her four children say they have been evicted from their family home by a cousin who claims to be the owner of the house in Onaame village of Ohangwena.
Rachel Hamutenya (32) was chased out of the house for allegedly destroying her cousin’s marriage.
Hamutenya and her children are now staying at a neighbour’s house after they were dropped off under a tree by the police.
When New Era visited her, she said the house belongs to her grandmother and they have been staying there for 28 years. However, last November, her grandmother relocated to her daughter due to her deteriorating health and her cousin and his wife decided to come and stay with them.
“It was last December when my cousin brought his wife to our house. So we had a good relationship as a family,” she said.
Hamutenya further explained that this April, the cousin started assaulting children on a daily basis and telling them to get out of his house.
“He started accusing me of destroying his marriage and telling his wife stories that he has many women in our village but I never said it,” she said.
She told New Era on 19 April, her cousin went to the police to get a restraining order so she could get out of the house “because I am disturbing their peace and because he is no longer happy”.
“He came with the police from Ohangwena police station who told me that my cousin had opened a restraining order so I should get out of his house. The police explained the restraining order to me in Oshiwambo and later on I was ordered to pack all my belongings and get out of the house, never to come back,” she stressed.
She was then put in a police vehicle and dropped off under a tree next to the road with her children and belongings.
“I spent the day under the tree crying with my children until around 19h00. I later went to my neighbour to ask her if she can accommodate me for a short time,” she explained.
Hamutenya said she left her mahangu in the field, which she cultivated with the children, while the beans were destroyed by the cousin.
Approached for a comment, Mwahafa Haitembu (37), who Hamutenya accused of evicting her claimed he gave a piece of land to her so she can build her own house but she refused to go out and added that he also informed the elders in the family that he is giving her a piece of land.
“I decided to open a protection order because I am tired of her destroying my marriage, I don’t have peace with my wife anymore because of my cousin who is telling my wife that I have many wives in the village,” Haitembu told New Era.
Hamutenya has since approached the court for reprieve.
“After I reported the matter, the court called us last Friday for a hearing. The magistrate told us that they will investigate the matter as soon as possible,” said Hamutenya.
She said the court told them that it would make arrangements to discuss the matter with their relatives and the traditional authority to find the solution to the problem.
Furthermore, Hamutenya is appealing to the public to assist her with food, clothes and blankets since she does not have anything to eat with her children.
She can be contacted on 0812127574 or 0814376404.
Also approached for a comment, the headman of Onaame village in the Ohangwena region said Hamutenya reported the matter when she was already chased out of the house and the police were already involved, therefore, there is nothing he can do since the matter is already in the hands of the court.