"I’m very disappointed in my mother-in-law and the justice system".

These were the words of Samuel Naweya after his acquittal on charges of raping and impregnating his wife’s 17 year old cousin. A paternity test proved he’s not the father.

The case against the 37 year old father of three was withdrawn from the Windhoek Magistrate Court roll on 18 July, after the victim repeatedly failed to appear in court and the paternity test came back negative.

Naweya’s nightmare began in February 2012 after his wife Beatha Dumeni discovered that her cousin who was residing with the couple at Oshivelo at the time was pregnant.

The then 16 year old girl known to Informanté, initially informed Dumeni of her sexual escapades with an unknown young man residing a few houses from Naweya’s during December 2011, while the couple were on holiday.

Her version of events was disputed by the alleged boyfriend’s parents, who were of the opinion that the pregnancy was too advanced to be 2 months old. The parties then agreed to wait until the girl gave birth to determine the exact period the pregnancy came about.

The heavily pregnant girl then migrated to Windhoek in late April this year, reportedly on the orders of Dumeni’s mother Desdelia Shikongo, a police officer with the VIP protection unit.

"After she moved to Windhoek and gave birth on 24 May, the accusations that I was the father after I allegedly spent months raping her without protection surfaced" says an indignant Naweya while holding his wife’s hand.

According to a police declaration taken from the girl on 28 May 2012, she claims that Naweya raped her when his wife was elsewhere visiting. "In August 2011, my in-law locked the house and had sex with me without condoms" the declaration reads in part.

On 18 July 2012, Naweya out of desperation to save his marriage, after his wife abandoned him, registered for a paternity test with the girl first refusing, before agreeing after a request from the court. The test conducted by gene diagnostics in South Africa concluded that Naweya is not the father.

The girl’s resolve was allegedly instigated by Shikongo, whom Naweya claims to dislike him and has reportedly attempted on several occasions to persuade his wife to divorce him. "My mother in-law harbors so much hatred towards me that she even refused to attend our wedding in Oshakati last year.

Shikongo laughed off suggestions that she instigated her niece and that she dislikes Naweya. "It is my duty as the girl’s guardian in finding out who the father of the child is. She freely informed my colleague that Naweya was the father and he is wrong to suggest that I dislike him.

 Yes he is not the best of a son in-law because of his habit of threatening my daughter with a loaded weapon, but I do not hate him."