Mother seeks compensation for son’s death

By Simon Liseli

A -56- year old Regina Nanvula Muhinda, a resident of Katima Mulilo, is seeking compensation from Motor Vehicle Accident Fund (MVA) for the loss of suffering following after her sons’ death in a fatal road accident between Windhoek and Usakos Road in 2009.

Ms. Muhinda claims that she is now left destitute as her late son Steen Mwangala Libongani, who died at the scene of the accident in May, was the sole family breadwinner and her caretaker, saying MVA should compensate any car crash victims’ families who are left behind to fend for themselves.

According to Ms. Muhinda, Libongani was traveling from Usakos in the Erongo region, where he was working with Global Fund Company, to Windhoek in Khomas region where he occasionally visited as it was his second home.

Following months after the accident, the mother said she claimed the loss of support payments from MVA fund on December 1, 2010 after which she was paid over N$30 000, a last transaction she was ever to receive despite an annual amount payout N$11,822 to his family until December 2015.

She told Caprivi Vision several failed attempts of enquiring from MVA on when she would receive the over due annual payment, she was allegedly turned down when MVA cited that she is married, has a decent house and surviving children who own small business where she is generating income from.

“I just need the money to be paid. Why am I being victimised compared to other accident victim’s families, who I went along with to enquire with and have since been receiving the same benefit am being denied.

“My late son was the only one who was employed amongst two siblings-sisters- who both dropped out of school due to the hardship of life.Why not me? Where do we differ? We all lost our beloved ones in car accidents” said an emotional mother.

Ms. Muhinda appealed to MVA to clarify and explain claims and compensation procedures rather than shielding it away in their intricate policies saying “they should have told me at first, as I could now not be in a worrisome and emotional condition as others are being paid.

However MVA’s Manager of Corporate Communication Ms.Catherine Shipushu said the fund works according to the law, which stipulates those claimants who qualify for loss of support must be indigent, without basic necessities of life such as food, shelter and clothing and must prove that it’s true for such a person to be considered.

Ms. Shipushu said this is not a personal decision but it’s a law and people are being informed about this on radios and television citing example of the Silozi radio services, who disseminate information in their regards to the community.

“But in case of Ms. Muhinda, who is affording all basic needs and at the same time she is married, had her claim revoked after a thorough scrutiny of our investigation’s report.
It revealed that she is married, has a decent house, have other children and also operates a small business where she is generating income, all these removed her automatically from the category of an indigent person” explained Ms. Shipushu.

She added that after the finding of their investigation the complainant was informed and everything was clearly explained to her.