The tree, God and me

TUYEIMO HAIDULA







OMAKANGO

When Halweendo was a year and a few months old, his mother died while giving birth to his younger sister. Having also lost his father, he now lives under a tree at Omakango village in the Ohangwena Region.

Namibian Sun learnt about his poor living conditions from Paulus Kornelius, whose foundation Kwafela Oshiwana was receiving donations from Oukwanyama Queen on Tuesday, and tracked him down.

He doesn’t know his age because he doesn’t have any national documents, and his full name also remains a mystery – the man simply identifies himself as Halweendo.

I ask that he spell it for me and he draws lines on the ground. As though annoyed by the request, he mentions that he has never been to school.

I ask how old he is and the people nearby guess that he is 30. He dismisses them, responding: “I am three years old”.

The people laugh. He looks confused and doesn’t understand why he is treated this way.

“We think they were not feeding him or treating him well at home. Since he arrived and we have been trying to cater for his needs, he has not relocated,” a woman who interrupts the interview says, but she refuses to be named on record.

He walks me to his ‘room’. It’s a large fruit tree where he has been living for some time now, as is evident by the scattered utensils.

He has one blanket, which he said he got from Rosalia Hatuikulipi - she owns a cuca shop close to where he lives.

The people have lost track of when he arrived in their village, but say he ran away from home at Oshandumbala village, not far from Omakango.

Protected by God

When I meet him on a sunny winter’s afternoon, he is dressed in worn out Nike shoes riddled with holes. His white jersey has yellowed with age. He often zones out and responds again when I call his name.

It is unclear whether he receives a disability grant or that for orphans and vulnerable children.

Hatukuilipi said Halweendo gets clothes from Good Samaritans and has made it his mission to find out which household in the village has lost a loved one so he can ask them for the deceased’s clothes. The people joke about it. He doesn’t respond.

One of the community members baths Halweedo regularly and cuts his hair to keep it tidy. But Tuesday, his hair was unkempt. They said it’s winter and they wanted it to keep him warm.

“He can also be helpful. He offers to collect water for anyone who is unable to do so.

“God has really been protecting him from snake bites and offering him the shelter we failed to,” Hatuikulipi said.

Family dilemma

The villagers tell Namibian Sun that in the past they offered Halweendo shelter in their homesteads, but claim they received threats from his guardian who took over when his parents died. The guardian said they will have to figure out what to do with him if Halweendo dies at their home. Namibian Sun was unable to track down his family.

The village headman Whilhem Kweenda initially said he had no idea about Halweendo’s plight and said he was, however, aware of a woman strips of her clothes and walks around the village naked. This woman, it seems, is Halweendo’s sister.

Kweenda said at the time he called the police to assist and she was later taken in by family members.

The headman added that while they have managed to find Halweendo’s family, he said this is just is how lives – alone, under a tree.

“If he meets someone who feeds him well, he starts a dwelling there and never wants to leave,” he said.

Ohangwena councillor Johannes Hakanyome on Wednesday said his office was unaware of Halweendo’s plight, but promised to get “to the bottom of it”.