25-year marriage ends in agony: 'I wouldn’t wish this pain on anyone'

Jacob Katanga (48) is still coming to terms with the pain and sense of betrayal that left him hospitalised and barely alive after his wife of more than two decades allegedly poured boiling cooking oil over him while he slept.The incident took place on 22 June at the couple’s home in Mayara village, Kavango West.Katanga sustained severe burns to his chest, arm and one side of his face. He has been receiving treatment at Rundu Intermediate Hospital for nearly a month.Speaking from his hospital bed this week, Katanga told Namibian Sun he never imagined that 25 years of marriage would end in such agony.“I could not eat for six days. My lips were stuck together. I was in so much pain,” he recalled, his voice hoarse with emotion.Katanga said that, in his view, the couple had had their share of disagreements over the years, as in most relationships, but there had never been any physical violence or abuse.“Every couple argues, but I never thought she was capable of this,” he said.Day of the attackHe recounted that on the day of the alleged attack by his wife, he had returned home from cutting poles and decided to take a nap. He was wearing a jacket and, although he initially planned to take it off, he eventually dozed off with it still on. His wife, Maria Namutenya Neromba, reportedly left the house and returned later, and began heating a pot of oil.“Our child saw her heating the oil, but didn’t think anything of it,” Katanga said.He slowly began to wake after feeling heat seeping through his jacket, but ignored it, until the boiling hot liquid reached his neck and face.“That’s when the pain became unbearable. I tried opening my eyes, but everything went dark. My child ran to call for help.”For Katanga, the road to recovery will be long, not just physically, but emotionally.“I don’t know what pushed her to this point,” he said quietly. “But I wouldn’t wish this pain on anyone.”Alive but hurt Katanga said he was shocked to hear rumours circulating in the village recently that he had died in hospital. “I’m alive. I’m healing, but it’s hard.”The couple have two children, including their eldest, an 18-year-old daughter. Katanga also shared that they had previously lost two other children.The 43-year-old suspect was arrested and appeared before the Rundu Magistrate’s Court on 26 June. She faces a charge of attempted murder. The case was postponed to 4 September for further investigation.Neromba’s version of events, including her account of the relationship and what led to the alleged attack, is expected to be presented during future court proceedings.The attack comes amid growing concern about retaliatory violence in relationships.Earlier this month, Rundu urban constituency councillor Vicky Kauma urged women to refrain from resorting to violence, such as torching homes or physically attacking their partners.“These actions cause deep emotional and material destruction for everyone involved,” Kauma said during the handover of blankets to 42 shack fire victims. Many shack fires in the region are reportedly linked to domestic clashes. phillipus@nmh-hub.com.na

25-year marriage ends in agony: 'I wouldn’t wish this pain on anyone'

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Namibian Sun 2025-11-05

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25-year marriage ends in agony: 'I wouldn’t wish this pain on anyone'

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Namibian Sun 2025-11-05

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