Villagers rescue frail Angolan teen amid claims of abuse by employer

Villagers from Oshiyagaya village in the Oshikoto region rescued a visibly malnourished 16-year-old Angolan teenager last week, whose condition has since triggered a police investigation and the arrest of a 62-year-old woman suspected of exploiting the minor.

The case came to public attention after a video shared on social media by Facebook user Johannes John showed villagers questioning the frail teenager, who had reportedly just fled the house where she had been working long hours and without pay.

In the footage, the villagers asked the teenager where she had come from.

She explained that she had just run away from her employer, who lives in a nearby village.

She also told the group that the woman had brought her to the house one year ago.

"I work in the field on her farm,” the minor said in the video, adding that she had not been paid for her work since arriving.

“I work without rest. I want to return home,” she told the villagers.

"I left home to come and work. My parents know that I left home to look for work, but they do not know about my situation,” she added.

Concerned by her condition, the villagers offered her food as they continued to question her about the circumstances that led her to flee.

Woman asked to explain

Later the same day, the villagers reportedly confronted the woman identified as the teenager’s employer.

In another video, which was also shared online, the villagers questioned the woman and demanded that she respond to the teenager's allegations.

The woman denied responsibility for her alleged minor employee’s frail physical condition, claiming that the teenager had already been weak when she arrived.

“I asked her whether she was ill because physically she was thin and weak,” the woman said.

According to her, the teenager indicated that she had been sickly since childhood and also had an injury on her left leg.

Responding to claims that the Angolan teenager had been forced to work continuously in the fields, the woman denied the allegations and insisted that farm work is normal for everyone in the household.

“In fact, I had to show her how to use a hoe and how to plough the mahangu field because she did not know how to work in the field,” she told the villagers.

Teen hospitalised

Police in the Oshikoto region confirmed on Saturday that a 62-year-old woman from Oshiyagaya village had been arrested in connection with the case.

Police spokesperson Deputy Commissioner Kauna Shikwambi said the suspect is expected to appear in the Ondangwa Magistrate’s Court.

Authorities allege that the woman assaulted the minor by hitting her with a stick and deceived her by promising payment for work that she allegedly never provided.

The 16-year-old, originally from Calonga village in Cuvelai, Cunene Province, Angola, was first treated at Onyaanya Health Centre and has since been admitted to Onandjokwe Hospital for further medical care.

In Namibia, child labour is strictly prohibited by both the Constitution and the Labour Act of 2007, which define a child as anyone under the age of 18.

Several reports have warned that child labour in Namibia remains a concern, particularly in the agricultural and domestic work sectors, despite strong legal frameworks prohibiting it.

Poverty, drought, and lack of school access are major drivers, forcing children into hazardous work situations that hinder their development and education.

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