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Villagers claim councillor accused them of cattle theft

Phillipus Josef
Residents of Maputa village in the Mukwe constituency in the Kavango East region claim their constituency councillor Damian Maghambayi has labelled them cattle thieves, which they fear could hamper efforts to obtain identity documents.The allegations were conveyed to Namibian Sun by All People’s Party (APP) leader Ambrosius Kumbwa in a telephone interview yesterday.



Kumbwa said a group of residents approached him after 87 stolen cattle were recovered from Diyogha village last month.



Although the cattle were retrieved with the help of police and soldiers, no information has reportedly been shared publicly on whether any suspects have been identified and who they are.



“Residents say the councillor is accusing them of stealing cattle and selling them. Now they are being told that getting IDs will be difficult,” Kumbwa explained.



According to Kumbwa, the villagers want to know which cattle were allegedly stolen, where they were taken and by whom.



Accusations denied



Maghambayi has strongly denied making any blanket accusations.



“What I said was that we must be vigilant about who we employ to look after cattle,” he told Namibian Sun. “I never called anyone thieves.”



He further dismissed claims that residents are being blocked from registering for national identity documents, emphasising that all applicants must undergo a verification process as required by law.



“We informed them that obtaining documents isn’t automatic. There must be testimony and a legal process to verify eligibility,” he explained.



Maghambayi attributed the recent spate of cattle thefts to increased cross-border activity in the Bwabwata area, which borders Angola.



He stressed the need for stricter screening of herders and workers employed in affected areas to prevent further incidents.



Cautioned against ­politicising issues



Kumbwa also took the opportunity to raise concerns over a borehole drilled in 2019, which he claims remains unused, forcing Maputa residents to fetch water from distant sources.



Maghambayi, however, disputed this claim too, saying that there has been a notable improvement in access to water in Maputa.



He acknowledged that when he assumed office in 2019, the only existing borehole produced water with a high salinity level.



“Since then, a new operational borehole has been drilled at the school and the community is permitted to fetch water from there. A pipeline has also been installed,” he said.



He added that Maputa has since been electrified and now has a school, which did not exist before his tenure.



Maghambayi cautioned against politicising issues such as stock theft, warning that unsubstantiated claims risk fuelling division.



“These are serious matters that require cooperation and facts, not political point-scoring,” he said.

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Namibian Sun 2025-08-01

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