OTJIWARONGO: A 53-year-old livestock farmer hanged himself with a wire on Tuesday morning in the Otjiwarongo area, because the government relocated him to another farm.

The deceased, whose name is withheld because some of his close relatives have not been informed yet, had lived on Farm Marburg, situated 60 kilometres north-west of Otjiwarongo near the Okorusu Mine in the Otjozondjupa Region for over 40 years.

In an interview with Nampa on Tuesday, his wife said the Ministry of Lands and Resettlement issued them with an eviction order on 12 September 2012.

The notice informed the deceased and his family that Farm Marburg has been legally allocated to someone else, and they had to vacate it before 30 September 2012.

“It bothered him a lot, because since then he never rested,” said the distraught widow.

She said her husband vowed not to move from Farm Marburg to another plot situated at Okorusu Farm No. 88 Unit B, where the Ministry of Lands and Resettlement relocated him and his family to.

She noted that her husband said he would rather die at Farm Marburg where he grew up, than relocate to the new resettlement farm, because there is no water, no house and not enough grazing for his 46 heads of cattle at the new plot.

“This past Saturday, I remember him saying that he will kill himself before the police come here and force us to the move to the new farm. Today at about 08h30, we found him hanging from a tree, some few metres from our homestead,” she said.

He also leaves behind five children.

The Namibian Police Force (NamPol) Otjozondjupa Regional Commander, Commissioner Joseph Anghuwo confirmed the incident to Nampa on enquiry Tuesday.

He said no note was left behind, and no foul play is suspected.

The police opened an inquest docket, and investigations continue.