Kayova 16: Family running out of patience

The family of the 16 people who died from suspected food poisoning in Kayova village has threatened to take matters into their own hands if the authorities do not act promptly.They have also called on the authorities to arrest or remove the individuals from their village who they claim provided them with the mahangu that they allege led to the deaths, pending the conclusion of the investigation.Last week, the aggrieved family told Namibian Sun that their wounds are still fresh and that seeing the individuals who provided them with the mahangu, suspected to have caused the deaths of their sixteen family members, is painful. They are even contemplating revenge."We see them passing by our house nearly every day, and that is painful. We lost a lot of family members after they ate what they gave us," the family members claimed."The police did not arrest them or take them away from the community, and they are moving around freely while our children are buried in a mass grave."If the police are not going to speed up this process, we must not be blamed if we take matters into our own hands."We want justice for our family members, or else we will do what will put our hearts at peace; going to jail is nothing after you have lost your children."Difficult time The head of the family, 63-year-old Gottfried Shishugho, said: "We are being counselled, but the problem is that when I am seeing the people who did this to us, how is that supposed to heal and accept it? What we think it is best for them to be arrested until the matter is resolved or taken away from the community."Meanwhile, Shishugho’s eldest son, Augustinus, said the delay in the forensic results is delaying the matter from being heard traditionally."We want the matter to be dealt with with urgency; we want the matter to go before the traditional court, but the lack of results from the lab is delaying it," he said.Police responseWhen contacted for comment last week, Kavango East police crime coordinator, Deputy Commissioner Bonifatius Kanyetu, said they are aware of the family’s request, but the police are still treating the matter as an inquest pending the outcome of the forensic results.He said the police have engaged various stakeholders, including the headman, to address the matter and will follow up on their progress."Kanyetu said the forensic results would be available soon. Therefore, the police are urging the affected family to stay calm and refrain from taking matters into their own hands."We understand their frustration, and the forensic results will be out soon. Once we get the results, the matter will be dealt with based on the outcome of the results," Kanyetu said.kenya@namibiansun.com

Kayova 16: Family running out of patience

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-02

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Kayova 16: Family running out of patience

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-02

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