Staff Reporter
NAMIBIAN citizens are entitled to an old age pension as soon as they turn 60, but that is not the case with Elia Nghilotokelwa Hambili, an elderly resident of Okapundjona village in the Engela Constituency of the Ohangwena Region. He does not enjoy the benefits that are enjoyed by other citizens of his age group.
Although his exact age could not be established, he must be old enough, judging by the fact that his younger siblings are already pensioners. He has no national documents such as a birth certificate and an ID card. And the reason for that is allegedly that he resists and rejects anything related to “office.” ‘He possessed an ID card in the past, but he lost it and has ever since refused to apply for a duplicate,’ said Olivia Johannes, Hambili’s older sister.
He is not a mental health patient and otherwise leads a normal life, having his own traditional homestead where he lives with a number of relatives but no wife. It is alleged that he was never interested in having a wife. The family tried to help him obtain documents and register for old age pension, to no avail. ‘All attempts have failed. We took him to the relevant offices, including the Home Affairs and the constituency office, but he turns violent as soon as officials start asking him questions,’ said Johannes. His ‘strange’ behaviour allegedly dates back to the war years when he was brutalized by the security forces.
Informanté had a glimpse into Hambili’s violent behaviour during an attempt to interview him on Thursday. The interview had barely started when he changed his initial welcoming mood and turned violent. In fact, he grabbed a knife and a hammer to attack the interviewer but was promptly stopped in his tracks by a relative who was standing nearby.
Approached for comment, Engela constituency councilor and member of the National Council, Elkan Hainghumbi, said that he was not aware of Hambili’s case. ‘Now that you have brought it to my attention, I will definitely take it up and will involve relevant stakeholders, including social workers and, if need be, even the police,’ he said.
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