'Father' of non-existent son breaks silence

Walvis Bay-based general worker Theofelus Nghidinwa (31) says he spent close to N$10 000 over several years supporting a son he believed was his, only to discover the child never existed after his former long-distance girlfriend was arrested last week on allegations of abducting a random child in Oshakati and allegedly presenting the boy as his.

According to Nghidinwa, his former long-distance girlfriend Veronika Timoteus (26) allegedly fabricated the child's existence, sending him photographs over the years and accepting financial support while repeatedly preventing him from meeting the boy.

The alleged deception came to light after Timoteus was arrested last week on allegations of abducting a child in Oshakati. Police allege she kidnapped a young boy while he was walking home from Oshakati Primary School, tripped him, covered his face and carried him away, telling other children she had been injured and needed medical assistance. She allegedly presented the child as Nghidinwa's son after coming under pressure to prove the boy existed.

Speaking to Namibian Sun yesterday, Nghidinwa recounted what he described as years of emotional and financial manipulation.

He said he met Timoteus through a mutual friend in 2018, and the pair entered into a relationship the following year. She briefly lived with him in Walvis Bay in early 2020 before later informing him that she was pregnant. The couple did not live together when she made the claim.

"She told me she had given birth in November 2020," he said.

Never meeting

Unable to travel because of Covid-19 restrictions, Nghidinwa said he relied on the updates and photographs Timoteus sent him. He added that she also informed his mother about the pregnancy and birth, convincing his family that the child was his.

"My mother asked me why I had made someone pregnant without telling her," he said.

Believing he had become a father, both families named the child in accordance with tradition. His paternal family chose the name Tangomwene Boy, while his late mother named him Elago-Niklaus Munashimwe Meemwenyo.

Nghidinwa said he regularly sent money for the child's upkeep and repeatedly travelled from Walvis Bay to northern Namibia in the hope of finally meeting him.

"In 2021, my uncle and I travelled north and arranged to meet her in Oshikuku, but she never came. Every time I travelled, there was another reason why I couldn't see the child," he said.

Growing suspicious, he stopped sending money in 2022 before resuming payments the following year.

One of his greatest disappointments, he said, came when his mother died in April 2024.

"I asked her to bring the child to my mother's funeral, but she refused and later said she would ask her family. She never got back to me," he said.

Last week, Nghidinwa finally met the boy after Timoteus allegedly agreed to introduce them.

He bought the child clothes and shoes before taking him to his family's village in the Etayi constituency of the Omusati Region, where relatives welcomed him as their grandson.

However, he immediately noticed inconsistencies.

"By my calculations, my son should have been six years old, but this child appeared to be seven and had already started school," he said.

His suspicions deepened when the child identified another man as his father.

"The child told me his father was at work," Nghidinwa said.

Missing child

The following day, after Timoteus left with the child, Nghidinwa's aunt informed him that the boy had been reported missing and that Timoteus had been arrested. Police later visited his family's home as part of the investigation.

Nghidinwa said he has since obtained bank statements and other records showing money he sent to Timoteus over several years.

Although official bank records reflect payments totalling N$3 830, he estimates he transferred close to N$9 000, including payments made through other people's cellphone numbers after Timoteus allegedly claimed she no longer had a phone.

"I even had to pay the bank to print the statements so I could give them to the police," he said.

He believes he was not the only victim.

"I am hearing there are four of us who went through the same thing. Two men have already given statements to the police. One of them is reportedly a police officer from Opuwo," he claimed.

Despite describing himself as emotionally devastated, Nghidinwa said he is not seeking revenge.

"I am not saying she must go to jail. I just want my money back," he said.

He added that police commended him for remaining calm throughout the ordeal.

Meanwhile, Oshana head of crime investigations Deputy Commissioner John Matongwe said investigators established that the suspect had initially provided police with a false identity.

"The correct name of the suspect is Veronika Temoteus, a 26-year-old woman from Ohalilyya village in the Omusati Region. This was confirmed by the suspect's sister after the suspect falsely identified herself to police as Agnes Nankama," he said.

Matongwe said investigators located the house where the suspect allegedly spent the night with the child, obtained witness statements and compiled a photographic evidence plan.

Police also visited a Pep store in Oshikuku to retrieve CCTV footage but found that the store was not equipped with surveillance cameras.

He said the child was medically examined at Oshakati State Hospital and found to be in good health.

Matongwe further revealed that Timoteus is wanted in the Kunene Region in connection with a theft-from-employer case registered under Opuwo CR 21/06/2026. Arrangements are under way for her transfer once legal processes permit.

Timoteus made her first appearance in the Oshakati Magistrate's Court, where bail was denied. The matter was postponed to 16 September 2026 for further police investigations.