50,000 People Undocumented in Namibia
Published: 22/Feb/2023
Source: New Era (Windhoek)
By Aletta Shikololo
Ongwediva — For his entire life, Nghidipo Rafael has had to prove that he indeed exists.
The 29-year-old from Outaukondjele village in the Ohangwena region was born from Namibian parents, yet he is stateless. This fact has made him live a life of hardship and poverty.
A stateless person is someone who is not considered a national of any state. Government estimates that there are 50 000 stateless persons in Namibia.
“I have been living in a dilemma my whole life. My existence is absolutely unknown,” he lamented.
To Nghidipo, statelessness is his inheritance.
His maternal grandparents didn’t have a nationality, something which was then inherited by his mother, and subsequently flowed over to him and his three siblings.
This issue is likely to be passed on to his children, if he decides to have any.
Read further: https://allafrica.com/stories/202302220239.html