The police in the Oshana region last week arrested a woman for allegedly entering into three legal marriages.
Paulina Shiiyanga (55) appeared in the Eenhana Magistrate’s Court yesterday, where she was granted bail in an amount of N$4 000 on condition that she does not leave the Eenhana district.
She, however, remains in custody as she is reportedly unable to afford the bail amount.
Her case was postponed to 15 October for a plea.
According to a police source, one of Shiiyanga’s alleged marriages was solemnised at the Ondangwa Magistrate’s Court, another at the Oshakati Magistrate’s Court, while the third was concluded at the Eenhana Magistrate’s Court on 27 May 2011.
He has been charged with bigamy.
Oshana police regional commander commissioner Andreas Shilelo yesterday confirmed the woman’s arrest at Oshakati.
She promised to provide more information on the matter, but had not done so by the time of going to print.
“She unlawfully and intentionally entered into a marriage with one person while still legally married to another person,” a police source said yesterday.
Sources say Shiiyanga was initially married to a Ugandan national who has since died. She allegedly went on to marry a Congolese national and another Ugandan national.
The sources further claim that the men involved may have married Shiiyanga in an attempt to acquire Namibian citizenship.
One of the two Ugandan nationals reportedly gave her N$2 500 after their marriage and disappeared, while another allegedly fathered six children with her.
A police source says Shiiyanga had admitted to the allegations in a warning statement and intended to plead guilty.
Bigamy is the act of entering into a marriage while a previous marriage remains legally valid.
PREVIOUS WARNING
This case comes after warnings in the past against marriages of convenience involving Namibian citizens and foreign nationals.
In 2015, former minister of home affairs, immigration, safety and security Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana cautioned young Namibian women against entering into marriages of convenience with foreign nationals.
“Our girls understand marriage differently. It is no longer love, it is no longer about being together. It’s about meeting at the magistrate’s court, signing the papers and divorcing later,” she said at the time.
The post Oshana woman arrested for triple marriage appeared first on The Namibian.