Divorcing minister wants 80 cattle, N$40 000 per month

Deputy finance minister Maureen Hinda-Mbuende is demanding 80 cattle and N$40 000 per month from her husband, former ambassador Kaire Mbuende - whom she is divorcing over an alleged adulterous affair with a Swapo member of parliament.Court papers show that Hinda-Mbuende is, alternatively, demanding N$1.1 million if her husband, a former foreign affairs deputy minister, cannot deliver the 78 cows and two bulls she’s demanding. The money should come with interest backdated to January 2022, she demanded.Hinda-Mbuende cited several grievances about her husband, whom she accused of having an affair and showing no interest in continuing the marital relationship. The couple tied the knot in 2018.In March, Namibian Sun reported that Mbuende was demanding the return of 80 cattle he allegedly donated to his wife as collateral for a loan she had applied for from Agribank. Startlingly, he claimed in court papers at the time that the arrangement was such that once the loan had been approved, he would take back his cattle.Revelations of this arrangement led to accusations that Hinda-Mbuende misled Agribank, which resorts under her ministry, by using cattle that were not hers as collateral to secure the loan.She claimed that her husband agreed to donate 78 cows and two bulls to her to secure the loan, which she has been repaying. However, she has since said her husband breached this agreement by refusing to deliver the livestock.No ‘marital privileges’In her own court claim, Hinda-Mbuende said their marriage turned sour due to her husband - without good reason - refusing to afford her marital privileges. According to her, he failed to show any serious intention in continuing with the marriage.She also claimed that her husband accused her of practices not aligned with his religious outlook, despite their mutual participation in marital counselling and a wedding ceremony under the Roman Catholic Church.“He regarded [Hinda-Mbuende’s] genuine attempts at reconciliation and discussion as soliciting arguments over trivial matters, without any basis to do so. [He] routinely acquiesced in the ill-treatment or domination of [Hinda-Mbuende] by his family members,” court documents read.“During December 2023, [he] wrongfully and maliciously deserted [his wife] by moving her personal belongings out of their common home and simultaneously, without any just cause, moved out of the common bedroom, and has since refused to move back.”Hinda-Mbuende said her husband, in court papers, failed to disclose the adulterous relationship he had with a Swapo member of parliament, whom Namibian Sun has elected not to name.&#039;Bank heist&#039;Affirmative Repositioning activist Dr Job Amupanda, who himself is battling a defamation lawsuit by Hinda-Mbuende for remarks he allegedly made about her on social media, accused the deputy minister of lying to Agribank to secure the loan.“She corruptly applied for a N$1.1 million loan from Agribank, which she used to buy livestock from her husband. She admits to tricking Agribank by stating that these cattle were kept at her husband’s farm for speculative purposes. To further deceive Agribank, her husband donated 80 cows to meet the bank&#039;s requirements. Once she got the loan, the cows were returned,” he said.“She signed a farm lease agreement with her husband as the landlord, renting his farm for N$1 monthly. Interestingly, she admits that donations between spouses are illegal under our law. This essentially means that the deputy finance minister and her husband successfully executed a money heist to defraud a bank under her control,” Amupanda remarked on social media.nikanor@erongo.com.na

Divorcing minister wants 80 cattle, N$40 000 per month

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-03

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Divorcing minister wants 80 cattle, N$40 000 per month

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-03

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