• By Jeremiah Ndjoze

A Windhoek father stand accused of duping his biological daughter into debt, after he conspired with an employee of the First National Bank (FNB) of Namibia to open a business account for the girl, after which he withdrew an overdraft amounting to N$10,000.

Innocent Kwenani Simasiku, allegedly withdraw the money in 2017, while the daughter was still an undergraduate student at a local university. The Bank’s debt, which has since accrued to over N$11,000 is yet to be settled.  The daughter, Queen Simasiku, has graduated with her first degree and currently pursuing an honours degree.

 However, this experience earned her a bad credit name and she is blacklisted from opening a bank account or any other credit account for that matter.  Getting the father to own up to the debt, according to his ex-wife, Martha Simasiku, remains an elusive goal. Martha is Queen’s mother. 

This week, she poured her heart out to Confidente, as she narrated the events that led to the status quo. “He took her to the bank saying he was going to open an account through which he will be depositing money for her, but he never deposited anything. A few days after opening the business account, he withdrew an overdraft of N$10,000 from the account. My child was just a participant, being told where to sign,” Martha revealed. 

According to Martha, her ex-husband only gave Queen N$200 from the N$10,000.  “The Bank has been calling my daughter through their debt collectors and this has left her in a traumatic state. She cries a lot, even in public. She does not understand why her own father would put her in that kind of situation,” Martha said. 

She added, the bank only ceased to call after she opened a case of theft under false pretences - CR 87/04/2025 - against Simasiku, on behalf of her daughter.  “I am tired. I want my child’s name to be completely [cleared]. She is traumatised and this is affecting her studies

“I went to his (Simasiku’s) cousin for intervention and she told me that he (Simasiku) is planning to sell some cattle to settle the debt. But the animals are currently being fattened by his uncle,” Martha added.  

ESTRANGED
On her part, Queen now 21 -years-old, did not mince her words when confirming that she and her father are estranged. 
She said this matter has taken an emotional toll on her, worsened by the fact that Simasiku has “never apologised or at least tried to explain why he did it.”

“I want this debt to be listed in his name. I was oblivious to what was happening and taken advantage of. I also blame the whole thing on the bank. Why did they fail to go after the person who assisted my father in opening this account and deleting all related files thereafter,” Queen queried.  

She further called on FNB Namibia to put measures in place that will ensure such fraud does not happen to anyone else.

BANKING STAFF CHATS
Martha, herself a former FNB Namibia employee, questioned the manner in which the business account, for an unregistered entity only referred to as Queen Enterprises, was created. According to her, no other documentation on the overdraft transaction exists, other than a computer file showing that her daughter is indebted to the bank. 

“The bank cannot do this and not be held accountable. FNB Namibia was supposed to protect its customers. They were the enablers in this regard. How did they open the account with no single piece of paper?”  The distraught mother said every time she approached the bank for assistance, she was sent from pillar to post. 

Confidente is in possession of email correspondences between  FNB Namibia staff members on the matter. On March 27, 2025, Helena Imene, an employee in the debt collection section of the bank, wrote to the Legal Recoveries Collections Manager, Tulonga Shapumba and other FNB staffers in reference to the Queen Enterprises account number 64277309546. 

In that communication she wrote: “In respect of the above mentioned matter, client’s mother and the daughter came in for consultation. They have indicated that the child’s father applied for an overdraft and same was approved and given to him without the daughter’s knowledge. She ask we provide her with [the] overdraft facility letter to see who of our bank representative was there by that time, as she would want to open a fraud case against the father and the person that granted the facility.” 

She further wrote: “Unfortunately, we do not have a file in our possession, we only have a CRR, confirmed with Gino and Lusian (that downgraded the file that period). The RM (Brian Linkado) is no more in [the] employment of FNB. There is nothing on Fenix. I emailed the LCRC department (they also do not have anything in their possession). Previous Branch was Prosperita.”

Imene pleaded: “Kindly advice on possible solutions regarding the above or can we perhaps send it back to [the] branch to write it off  against their operational loss. Client is insisting and wants this to be sorted out as soon as possible.” 

On March 28, 2025, Tulonga Shapumba replied with: “This file in my view should return to the branch with instructions for them to write-off as an operational loss against their branch, please authorize Rochelle to transfer back.”

On 30 March 2025, Monique Maass, a credit origination manager at FNB Namibia wrote a communique in which she copied numerous of her colleagues.  The message reads; “Good Morning, @Shinyembah, Veranus. Please note below customer. We will transfer back to [the] branch. This is not a collection matter, as a fraud case is being filed by the clients’ relatives. Facility was given in their names without their consent. Without the required documents signed or if so not available @Hipikuruka, John, looping you in, to please note the operational loss in the branch. Process to be followed to log this etc.”

It continued: “@Adams, Gino, please ensure this is transferred to the previous business profile and notify the new RM on that portfolio. @Doeseb, Ray, looping you in to not relegate this customer, whilst the losses are being sorted in business.”
On 09 April 2025, Imene wrote to Mutaleni Itope, who is said to be a manager at the bank’s Prosperita branch. In the email, she urged Itope to act on the matter.

That email reads: “Good day Ms. Mutaleni, Kindly update us on the below client…[she] is still on our case and she came to the office today asking for [an] update and with a case opened of theft under false pretence, CR87/04/2025. Could you please reach out to her if there is perhaps any kind of resolution met?”

On 15 May 2025, Imene again wrote to Itope in an email that was copied to amongst others, the Area Business Manager for the Central Cluster, Jeffrey Katjivena.
This time Imene wrote: “Kindly provide [the] client with feedback as per my below request. @Martha Ndinelao, going forward kindly contact Itope or Katjivena also cc’d herein regarding this account they will be in a better position to answer all your questions.”

SIMASIKU SPEAKS
Simasiku confirmed that he opened the business account on behalf of her daughter. In his own words, he had noble intentions for doing so. “My daughter was studying at the Namibian University of Science and Technology (NUST) and my plan was to deposit the money in the account, to cater for her [educational] needs,” he said. He added that Queen’s Enterprises account was attached to his business account.

According to Simasiku,  he wanted to clear the overdraft debt last month, but the money was returned to his account for reasons he could not explain. “Seems like they have closed the account or something because I deposited the N$10,000, and I have proof, but it returned. I am sure that she (Queen) might have received a notification from her account, if it is still active,” Simasiku said.
“I do not know why she (Martha) is running to the papers. We can sort this matter out amongst ourselves,” he added.

Simasiku told Confidente that the business, Queen Enterprises, is non-existent. “The business does not exist, but my plan was to put her up into business so that she can run her own salon and that type of thing,” he revealed, saying that his plan faltered when he relocated to the Zambezi region in pursuit of some business interest.

“I am currently in Katima [Mulilo] and will be back [in Windhoek] next week. I will come and sort this out,” he explained.