Missing Boy from Kavango East Found After 15 Years in Arandis

A young man in Arandis, who was unable to register at the Namibian Institute of Mining and Technology (NIMT) because he had no identity documents, has been identified by a woman from Kavango East as her long-lost son.

Elizabeth Mandaha (54) says she is almost certain the young man is her biological son, Steven Shavuka Thandakhona, who disappeared in 2010 when he was just five years old. Steven, who also goes by the name Kandjimi Joseph Ndjii in Arandis, vanished while herding cattle with his twin sister and older brother in Mile 20 village in Kavango East.

The family had searched for weeks and only found the twin girl. The boy remained missing, until now.

Mandaha learned about him when a woman from Kavango East, who was enrolling her own child at NIMT, noticed the young man and heard that he had no parents or documents. His story was shared in a local WhatsApp group for Kavango people living in Arandis. A photo of the boy caught Mandaha’s attention.

“I looked at the photo and immediately felt he was mine,” Mandaha told Namibian Sun.

“My daughter called the person who posted the picture and said, ‘That boy looks like my brother who went missing in 2010.’”

The person on the other end confirmed the boy had been living in Arandis since 2010 and was believed to be from Kavango. Another photo was sent, this time with the woman who raised him. That sealed the feeling for Mandaha. She rushed to the police station in Rundu and shared her story, hoping to reconnect with her son.

Back in 2010, Steven and his siblings had left to tend cattle. When they got separated, their older brother tried to find them but only came back with the twin girl. A search party, including the children’s father, was launched. Despite efforts by the police and the community, Steven was never found.

The mystery deepened when the family heard how the boy ended up in Arandis. According to Klaus Kambinda, a family member, a man had rented accommodation in Arandis and left the child with his landlord’s family, saying he had to attend a funeral in Rundu. But the man never came back.

The woman who raised the child, Christilien Kotze, said the boy was very young and cried whenever asked about his parents.

“We thought God brought him to us,” she told Namibian Sun.

Despite not having any paperwork, her family raised the boy like their own for 15 years.

Now, the biological family believes they have finally found their son. Steven reportedly remembered a few details about his early home, a big tree, a yard fenced with logs, and a bar nearby, matching descriptions from Mile 20 village.

But challenges remain. A DNA test costing N$4,000 is needed to confirm his identity. Thankfully, a businessman from Rundu has stepped forward to pay for the test.

The DNA test is conducted today and the mother is waiting for the result.

Still, the boy will need a birth certificate and will face the emotional challenge of reconnecting with a family and language he doesn’t know.

“This journey is not going to be easy,” Mandaha said.

“He doesn’t speak Rukwangali, and everything he knows is from here in Arandis. But I’m just happy. I have joy I haven’t felt in years.”