DNA test
• Family suspects witchcraft was used
for the boy’s disappearance
After 15 years of unanswered questions and relentless hope, the Hausiku family of Mile 20 in Kavango West has been dealt another devastating blow
A Kavango East family's hopes of reuniting with their son who went missing 15 years ago were shattered when DNA results released this week confirmed that a 20-year-old man from Arandis is not their child.
The family’s son went missing in 2010, aged 5.
Steven Shavuka (20) - allegedly abandoned in Arandis by a Kavango man claiming to be his father - is unrelated to the Hausiku family.
Kavango West police and a social worker delivered the test results in Rundu.
However, the family says the process was marred by miscommunication, lack of transparency, and suspicion of foul play.
'Something doesn’t add up'
Wendinus Hausiku, who believes he is Shavuka’s biological father, questioned both the process and the outcome.
“I am not happy with how the results were brought forth. We were told the results were out last week in Erongo and were sent to Kavango West.
"But the communication was confusing. My wife was en route to Nkurenkuru when our daughter told her not to go, claiming the police said no results had arrived,” he said.
Hausiku expressed frustration that the family did not receive the results directly from the officials handling the case.
“The person who received the docket didn’t even bother to call us. Instead, they sent a representative. That’s not how such sensitive information should be handled.
"What if someone tampered with the results? We didn’t even go to the lab. Usually, families are present when DNA is explained. This whole thing is troubling,” he said.
He added that the family plans to conduct a second DNA test through a private institution to confirm the state’s findings.
Emotional fallout
Immanuel Hausiku (30), the missing boy’s older brother, also expressed disbelief at the outcome.
“Sometimes computers make mistakes,” he said. “When I met Steven, I felt a connection. He knew things only someone from our home would know.”
Immanuel believes there may be more to the story than what has been officially presented.
“Someone must have been paid to tamper with the results. It doesn’t make sense. We’re not giving up. If the private test comes back negative, too, then maybe we’ll start making peace. But right now, nothing adds up.”
Investigation
Despite the DNA results ruling out the connection between Shavuka and the Hausiku family, police say they are not closing the case.
Kavango West head of crime investigations, Deputy Commissioner Abner Agas, told Namibian Sun that the investigation will continue on two fronts to determine Shavuka's true identity and to find out what happened to the real missing son.
“We are not going to stop here. The family has requested further testing, including from the father, brother, and twin sister of the missing child.
'We will assist them in collecting those samples and sending them to the laboratory for further analysis,” Agas said.
Steeped in mystery
The case began receiving renewed attention in April this year when Joseph Kandjimi – known in Arandis as Steven Shavuka – attempted to register at the Namibian Institute of Mining and Technology (NIMT) but was unable to proceed due to a lack of national identity documents.
The woman assisting him, who had ties to Kavango East, posted his photo in a WhatsApp group for locals from the region.
It wasn’t long before the photo reached the Hausiku family, who immediately recognised his striking resemblance to their missing son, especially his twin sister.
Mandaha, who believes she is Shavuka’s biological mother, was overjoyed.
“As soon as I saw the photo, I knew. My daughter and others agreed. I said, ‘This is the child I have been searching for.’”
Boy’s memories
According to the family, when they visited Shavuka last month, he recalled fragments of his past, enough to stir belief that he could be their son.
He said he remembers stopping in Otjiwarongo and sleeping at the house of a Damara-speaking family. He remembers clicks in their language and said he later ended up at a farm near Okahandja.
There, an unknown man, believed to have abducted him, reportedly slaughtered three goats and threatened to do the same to Shavuka if he ever told anyone.
Questions linger
Concerns have also been raised about how Shavuka ended up in Arandis, where he has lived since about 2010.
The man who allegedly brought him there rented accommodation and later left the child with his landlord’s family, claiming he was attending a funeral in Rundu.
He never returned.
The landlord’s family has reportedly claimed they did not know the man’s identity, nor did they report the situation to the police.
They raised the boy as one of their own and he believed them to be his family.
Superstition
The Hausiku family has also voiced fears that supernatural forces may be at play.
They allege that some members of their community were unhappy when the family gave birth to twins, suggesting that witchcraft could have been used to cause the boy’s disappearance.
Painful wait
As it stands, the Hausikus still have no answers. While science may have spoken, their hearts remain unconvinced.
With another DNA test pending and the police continuing their probe, the family hopes that the truth – whatever it may be – will eventually be uncovered.
The family’s son went missing in 2010, aged 5.
Steven Shavuka (20) - allegedly abandoned in Arandis by a Kavango man claiming to be his father - is unrelated to the Hausiku family.
Kavango West police and a social worker delivered the test results in Rundu.
However, the family says the process was marred by miscommunication, lack of transparency, and suspicion of foul play.
'Something doesn’t add up'
Wendinus Hausiku, who believes he is Shavuka’s biological father, questioned both the process and the outcome.
“I am not happy with how the results were brought forth. We were told the results were out last week in Erongo and were sent to Kavango West.
"But the communication was confusing. My wife was en route to Nkurenkuru when our daughter told her not to go, claiming the police said no results had arrived,” he said.
Hausiku expressed frustration that the family did not receive the results directly from the officials handling the case.
“The person who received the docket didn’t even bother to call us. Instead, they sent a representative. That’s not how such sensitive information should be handled.
"What if someone tampered with the results? We didn’t even go to the lab. Usually, families are present when DNA is explained. This whole thing is troubling,” he said.
He added that the family plans to conduct a second DNA test through a private institution to confirm the state’s findings.
Emotional fallout
Immanuel Hausiku (30), the missing boy’s older brother, also expressed disbelief at the outcome.
“Sometimes computers make mistakes,” he said. “When I met Steven, I felt a connection. He knew things only someone from our home would know.”
Immanuel believes there may be more to the story than what has been officially presented.
“Someone must have been paid to tamper with the results. It doesn’t make sense. We’re not giving up. If the private test comes back negative, too, then maybe we’ll start making peace. But right now, nothing adds up.”
Investigation
Despite the DNA results ruling out the connection between Shavuka and the Hausiku family, police say they are not closing the case.
Kavango West head of crime investigations, Deputy Commissioner Abner Agas, told Namibian Sun that the investigation will continue on two fronts to determine Shavuka's true identity and to find out what happened to the real missing son.
“We are not going to stop here. The family has requested further testing, including from the father, brother, and twin sister of the missing child.
'We will assist them in collecting those samples and sending them to the laboratory for further analysis,” Agas said.
Steeped in mystery
The case began receiving renewed attention in April this year when Joseph Kandjimi – known in Arandis as Steven Shavuka – attempted to register at the Namibian Institute of Mining and Technology (NIMT) but was unable to proceed due to a lack of national identity documents.
The woman assisting him, who had ties to Kavango East, posted his photo in a WhatsApp group for locals from the region.
It wasn’t long before the photo reached the Hausiku family, who immediately recognised his striking resemblance to their missing son, especially his twin sister.
Mandaha, who believes she is Shavuka’s biological mother, was overjoyed.
“As soon as I saw the photo, I knew. My daughter and others agreed. I said, ‘This is the child I have been searching for.’”
Boy’s memories
According to the family, when they visited Shavuka last month, he recalled fragments of his past, enough to stir belief that he could be their son.
He said he remembers stopping in Otjiwarongo and sleeping at the house of a Damara-speaking family. He remembers clicks in their language and said he later ended up at a farm near Okahandja.
There, an unknown man, believed to have abducted him, reportedly slaughtered three goats and threatened to do the same to Shavuka if he ever told anyone.
Questions linger
Concerns have also been raised about how Shavuka ended up in Arandis, where he has lived since about 2010.
The man who allegedly brought him there rented accommodation and later left the child with his landlord’s family, claiming he was attending a funeral in Rundu.
He never returned.
The landlord’s family has reportedly claimed they did not know the man’s identity, nor did they report the situation to the police.
They raised the boy as one of their own and he believed them to be his family.
Superstition
The Hausiku family has also voiced fears that supernatural forces may be at play.
They allege that some members of their community were unhappy when the family gave birth to twins, suggesting that witchcraft could have been used to cause the boy’s disappearance.
Painful wait
As it stands, the Hausikus still have no answers. While science may have spoken, their hearts remain unconvinced.
With another DNA test pending and the police continuing their probe, the family hopes that the truth – whatever it may be – will eventually be uncovered.
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