Werner Menges
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Observer of human folly, reporter of cautionary tales, dog walker
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Articles by Werner Menges
Court hears confession of Dordabis murder accused
“I Grabbed her in a chokehold. After this happened, I threw her with a stone on the head. “After she fainted, I left her lying there and walked away. I went to drink further with my friends who were visiting from Windhoek.” These were the words of Dordabis area resident Herold Uirab in a confession he made to a magistrate in Windhoek on 14 December 2021, after his arrest on charges of murder and rape.
Gobabis rapist to be sentenced in November
The trial of an Omaheke region resident convicted of a series of rapes and robberies committed at Gobabis in 2015 and 2017 is scheduled to be concluded with his sentencing at the end of November. Judge Dinnah Usiku postponed the sentencing of Richard Haoseb (36) to 30 November at the end of a presentence hearing in the High Court at Windhoek Correctional Facility on Friday.
A shout for a panga, then gunshot rings out
“Bring the panga! Bring the panga!” This was called out by someone in a room in which a Windhoek resident, Patrick Hamupunda, was killed three years ago, a state witness recounted in the High Court at Windhoek Correctional Facility this week.
Dagga plantation accused face High Court trial
Three men facing charges in connection with the discovery of a cannabis plantation at a farm in the Okahandja district have made a first pretrial appearance in the Windhoek High Court, where they are due to stand trial.
Fishrot accused ask state for more details on charges
The first accused in the Fishrot fraud, corruption and racketeering case, Ricardo Gustavo, and a company represented by him have given notice that they will be asking the High Court to order the state to provide them with more details on the charges they are facing.
Walvis Bay murder accused not guilty of rape
Two men accused of robbing and murdering a Walvis Bay resident in his home near the end of 2023 have been found not guilty on two rape charges they also faced during their trial in the Windhoek High Court. Judge Philanda Christiaan discharged the two men, Quanito van Vuuren (28) and Sem Moses (23), in a ruling delivered on Friday. Defence lawyers representing Van Vuuren and Moses applied for their discharge on the rape charges after the state concluded its case in their trial.
DBN gets N$26m judgement against Nghipondoka, sister
The Development Bank of Namibia has won a Supreme Court appeal against businessman Vaino Nghipondoka and his sister, resulting in a default judgement for payment of N$26.48 million being granted against them.
Gibeon murder accused blames unknown attacker for teen’s death
An unknown assailant who struck at night was responsible for a fatal assault on a teenage girl in the Gibeon area in May 2021, a murder accused claimed during his trial in the Windhoek High Court this week.
21 former Katutura Hospital workers win N$2.78m award
A labour arbitrator has ordered the Ministry of Health and Social Services to pay N$2.78 million to 21 former employees of the ministry whose employment contracts were not renewed when they expired at the end of 2022. The order was made in an arbitration award issued by labour arbitrator David Itana of the Office of the Labour Commissioner on Monday.
Gym instructor admits guilt on nine charges, including murder of ex-girlfriend
A gym instructor admitted in the Windhoek High Court on Friday that he murdered his girlfriend after breaking into her flat in April 2024. Tjizake Murangi (25), who was a gym instructor before his arrest, admitted guilt on nine criminal charges, including a count of housebreaking with the intention to murder and murder, during an appearance before judge Claudia Claasen.
Pensioner’s N$4m theft case postponed
A case in which a pensioner is accused of stealing more than N$4 million from deceased estates of which she had been appointed as an administrator has been postponed to April next year. The case was postponed when the accused, Martha Dobberstein (78), made her latest appearance in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court on Friday.
Doctor describes mutilation of murdered woman’s body
The body of a woman found killed in the Dordabis area near the end of 2021 was carefully mutilated with a sharp object, according to testimony heard in the Windhoek High Court this week. During a post-mortem examination carried out on the body of Lydia Kharises (23) on 14 December 2021, it was found that Kharises’ pubic skin had been cut off and her uterus had been removed, medical doctor L Ashipala, who did the autopsy, testified before judge Eileen Rakow on Wednesday.
Sentencing in baby-rape trial at end of October
A Hardap region resident convicted on six criminal charges, including a charge involving the rape of a four-month-old baby, is due to be sentenced in the Windhoek High Court at the end of this month. Judge Claudia Claasen postponed the sentencing of Jonas Murao (47) to 30 October after hearing final oral arguments from deputy prosecutor general Dominic Lisulo, representing the state, and defence lawyer Peru Liebenberg yesterday.
Lithium company loses mining licence
The Chinese-owned lithium mining company Xinfeng Investment has lost its mining licence. The company lost the licence as a result of a judgement in which Windhoek High Court judge Thomas Masuku on Friday reviewed and set aside former minister of mines and energy Tom Alweendo’s decision to grant a mining licence to Xinfeng Investment in September 2022. Xinfeng’s application for a lithium mining licence in Namibia contained misleading information, Masuku found.
Noordoewer men guilty on child-rape charges
Two ||Kharas region residents accused of committing sexual crimes with a preteen girl about six years ago have both been found guilty on multiple charges, including counts of rape, in the Windhoek High Court. Judge Naomi Shivute found one of the accused, Dirk von Weidts (75), guilty on one charge of rape, two counts of committing an indecent or immoral act with a girl under the age of 16, and three charges of trafficking in a person in a judgement delivered on Thursday.
‘Gay ghosts’ defence fails in Keetmans murder trial
A claim by a Keetmanshoop resident who said he tried to defend himself against a homosexual person in his sleep, only to realise he had fatally stabbed his girlfriend, has failed to convince a High Court judge to acquit the man of murder. In a judgement delivered in the High Court at Windhoek Correctional Facility on Friday, judge Dinnah Usiku found murder accused Johannes Claasen (39) guilty on charges of murder, attempted murder and assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm.
Kavango man to admit he murdered mother
A Kavango East region resident who is accused of murdering his mother and trying to kill his father nearly two years ago intends to admit guilt on two charges he is facing in the Windhoek High Court.
Chief justice Strydom honoured at Supreme Court session
Retired chief justice Johan Strydom, who died at the age of 88 at the end of last week, provided “indispensible leadership” that helped shape and transform Namibia’s judiciary after the country’s independence in 1990. This was said by chief justice Peter Shivute during a valedictory motion court session in honour of Strydom at the Supreme Court in Windhoek yesterday.
Ex-magistrate’s bail attempt fails again
Former magistrate Jaco Kennedy, who has been held in custody on rape and kidnapping charges for more than 10 years, has again failed with an application to be granted bail. Kennedy’s latest bail application, based on alleged new facts, was dismissed by judge Naomi Shivute in the Windhoek High Court on Friday. Kennedy (39) has been held in custody since the end of January 2016, when he was arrested on a charge of rape.
Chief justice pays tribute to predecessor Strydom
Namibia’s third chief justice, Johan Strydom, was “a selfless and dedicated leader who served the judiciary and our country with distinction”, chief justice Peter Shivute has said in a statement issued by the Office of the Judiciary. The statement was issued after Strydom died at the age of 88 at Swakopmund on Friday.
Murder convictions of crash driver to remain standing
The precedent-setting murder convictions and sentence of a driver who was involved in a fatal road collision near Henties Bay at the end of 2014 will remain in place, after the Supreme Court decided not to hear an appeal on the matter.
Retired chief justice Strydom dies
The Office of the Judiciary has announced the death of retired chief justice Johan Strydom. Strydom died at Swakopmund at the age of 88 on Friday, chief justice Peter Shivute says in a statement released by the Office of the Judiciary. Strydom served as the first judge president of Namibia’s High Court after the country’s independence in 1990. He was appointed as Namibia’s third chief justice in 1999, when he succeeded the previous chief justice, Ishmail Mahomed.
Rehoboth strangler Henry Murphy guilty of ex-girlfriend’s murder
A woman who was found strangled in her locked bedroom in the Rehoboth area in February 2023 was murdered by her former boyfriend after she rebuffed a sexual advance from him, a High Court judge concluded in a judgement delivered on Tuesday.
Ohangwena man gets 26 years for girlfriend’s murder
An Ohangwena region resident who admitted that he murdered his girlfriend with a knife five years ago has received an effective sentence of 26 years’ imprisonment at the end of his trial in the Oshakati High Court. “By all accounts, this can only be described as a horrendous act of murder,” acting judge Marlene Tommasi said during the sentencing of Jeremia Fillipus (46) on Friday.
Walvis Bay child rapist Krylov’s house forfeited to state
A house and flat at Walvis Bay that were the scene of the sexual abuse of five teenage girls in 2017 have been forfeited to the state in terms of an order issued in the Windhoek High Court on Friday. According to the court’s order, the house and flat and the erf on which they are situated, all valued at N$2.99 million, are forfeited to the state in terms of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (Poca).
Former Namdia guard Joel Angula loses bail appeal in heist case
A bail appeal by one of the men accused of carrying out a fatal robbery at the head office of the diamond company Namib Desert Diamonds (Namdia) in January last year has been dismissed in the Windhoek High Court. The bail appeal of former Namdia protection officer Joel Angula (47) was dismissed by judges Philanda Christiaan and Naomi Shivute in a judgement delivered on Friday.
Outjo man guilty of murdering partner
An Outjo resident accused of carrying out a fatal assault on his domestic partner in March 2022 has now been found guilty on a charge of murder. Judge Claudia Claasen found Piet Gamaseb (49) guilty on a count of murder, read with the provisions of the Combating of Domestic Violence Act, in the Windhoek High Court on Wednesday. Gamaseb was accused of assaulting his then domestic partner, Davie Hanes (28), and inflicting fatal injuries on her at Outjo on 12 March 2022.
Omaheke killer gets 28 years behind bars
AN Omaheke region resident convicted of murdering his girlfriend and trying to burn her body in November 2021 has been sentenced to an effective prison term of 28 years. Judge Dinnah Usiku sentenced Jakob Makatan (30) in the High Court at Windhoek Correctional Facility on Tuesday. Makatan was found guilty on a charge of murder, read with the provisions of the Combating of Domestic Violence Act, and a count of defeating or obstructing the course of justice in July this year.
Woman behind bars on N$2.2m drug charges
A woman accused of dealing in mandrax tablets and cannabis valued at more than N$2.2 million over the past weekend is being held in custody after making a first court appearance following her arrest. Lena Spido (39) yesterday appeared in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court in Katutura on charges of dealing in and possession of prohibited dependence-producing drugs and a count of acquiring, possessing or using the proceeds of unlawful activities. Spido was arrested on Saturday.
Judgement reserved on bid to block Fishrot charges
FOUR of the individuals charged in the Fishrot fraud, corruption and racketeering case are due to hear by early February next year if they have had success with an attempt to stop the prosecutor general from continuing to prosecute them.
Ex-MTC chair Dirk Conradie gets fine of N$200 000 on N$60m contract charge
Veteran lawyer Dirk Conradie abused his position as chairperson of the board of directors of the company Mobile Telecommunications Limited (MTC) when he tried to use the promise of a multimillion-dollar MTC contract to persuade the owners of an advertising company to take a friend of his on as a black economic empowerment partner in their business.
Dorado murder accused told police he was at crime scene
One of the men accused of robbing and killing a Windhoek resident in his flat in March 2024 admitted to a police officer that he was present when his alleged victim was overpowered, before items were stolen from his home. The account Nicodemus Hango gave a police officer, warrant officer Matheus Shifugula, on 9 March 2024, was read out by Shifugula when he testified in the High Court at Windhoek Correctional Facility on Thursday.
Lawyer Conradie sentenced to pay N$200 000 fine on corruption charges
Veteran lawyer Dirk Conradie has been sentenced to pay a fine of N$200 000 or serve a five-year prison term on two charges under the Anti-Corruption Act on which he was found guilty in February. Conradie and a co-accused, Sara Damases, were sentenced in the Windhoek High Court on Monday.
Naked State House intruder becomes president’s patient
The man accused of causing a security breach when he entered the premises of State House in Windhoek, where he was found naked, near the end of April this year is to be detained in a mental hospital or prison until his release has been authorised.
City residents lose case about water bills
Eight Katutura residents who sued the Windhoek City Council about the city’s practice of estimating consumers’ monthly water use for billing purposes have lost their case in the Windhoek High Court. The Municipality of Windhoek Water Supply Regulations of 1996 allow the City of Windhoek to estimate residents’ water use during months when water meter readings were not taken by city employees, judge Nate Ndauendapo found in a judgement delivered on Monday.
Court stops farmer’s expulsion from sheep breeders’ society
A Sheep stud farmer who died in an aircraft crash in the Maltahöhe area near the end of August has now won a court case about a decision of the Meatmaster Sheep Breeders’ Society of Namibia to expel him from the organisation for a year. In a judgement delivered in the Windhoek High Court on Friday, acting judge James Devittie ordered the Meatmaster Sheep Breeders’ Association of Namibia not to implement its decision to expel Maltahöhe area farmer Johnny Hanekom as a member of the association.
Court orders release of detained diamond company employees
A Judge of the Windhoek High Court has ordered Namibia’s immigration authorities to release seven employees of a diamond-cutting company who were detained as alleged prohibited immigrants last week.
Drier, hotter rainfall season expected
The rainfall season that should be starting in October is expected to be both drier and hotter than normal, the Namibia Meteorological Service says. A drier than normal and hotter than normal rainy season is expected due to the rapid intensification of El Niño conditions over the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, the meteorological service said in a media statement on Friday.
AirNam employee pay outs to be recalculated
The Supreme Court has ordered the liquidators of Air Namibia to recalculate the amounts due to be paid out to former employees of the airline after it stopped operating in February 2021.
Avis murder accused claims rights ‘never explained’
One of the men accused of robbing and murdering a Windhoek resident at the city’s Avis Dam in July 2020 is claiming that no police officer has ever informed him of his constitutional rights.
Lesotho judges appointed for Supreme Court Original
Two judges from Lesotho have been appointed as acting judges of Namibia’s Supreme Court. The Judical Service Commission (JSC) announced president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s appointment of the judges on a recommendation of the JSC on Friday. The judges appointed as acting judges of appeal of the Supreme Court are Realeboha Mathaba and Polo Banyane. Mathaba and Banyane are both serving as judges of the High Court of Lesotho, and are also acting judges of Lesotho’s Court of Appeal.
AirNam liquidators win appeal about pay-outs to airline’s ex-employees
The liquidators winding up the affairs of Air Namibia after it stopped operating in February 2021 have won a Supreme Court appeal about severance pay-outs that have to be made to former employees of the airline. In a judgement delivered on Friday, the Supreme Court ruled that former Air Namibia employees’ remuneration that they received from the airline included only their basic salaries, housing allowances and transport allowances.
Court dismisses Govt defence in N$13m medical claim
A special plea raised by the government and the minister of health and social services has been dismissed in the Windhoek High Court. This involves a case in which a woman is suing them for N$13 million after a piece of a needle was left behind in her body during surgery at a state hospital.
N$49.4m frozen in Namibian accounts over illegal coal mining in SA
An alleged illegal coal mining operation in South Africa has had repercussions for an Aranos area farm owner, with N$49.4 million in Namibian bank accounts of the farm owner and his wife now in effect frozen in terms of a Prevention of Organised Crime Act property preservation order.
Lawyer withdraws from city knife murder case
A Windhoek resident accused of murdering his former girlfriend in a knife attack about two years ago will have to apply for state-funded legal aid again, after his defence lawyer withdrew from his case yesterday. With the trial of murder accused Tjizake Murangi (25) scheduled to start in the Windhoek High Court yesterday, defence lawyer Milton Engelbrecht informed judge Claudia Claasen he was withdrawing from the matter after receiving conflicting instructions from his client.
‘Free speech’ defence fails in contempt of court case
Social activist Michael Amushelelo’s claim that remarks he made about suspended Namibian Police inspector general Joseph Shikongo were protected by his constitutional right to free speech has been rejected by a judge of the High Court. Amushelelo wilfully and in bad faith breached a court order with the remarks he made in a Facebook post at the end of March last year, judge Nate Ndauendapo stated in a judgement delivered in the Windhoek High Court on Friday.
Amushelelo in contempt of court, judge rules
Social activist Michael Amushelelo has been held in contempt of court and sentenced to a suspended prison term of one month in connection with remarks that he made about suspended Namibian police inspector general Joseph Shikongo on social media last year.
State considers pleas in Windhoek transgender murder case
The state is to consider pleas offered by two men accused of brutally murdering a transgender woman in Windhoek two years ago. The state and defence lawyers representing murder accused Elias Nandomba (20) and Mervin Beukes (21) are still sorting out the possibility of guilty pleas to be offered by the two accused, deputy prosecutor general Antonia Verhoef informed judge Philanda Christiaan during a pretrial appearance by Nandomba and Beukes in the Windhoek High Court on Tuesday.
Chief justice puts focus on judicial well-being
The professional demands encountered by judicial officers must not be met at the cost of their health, chief justice Peter Shivute says. “The demands are real and, at present, they are considerable. What I do not accept is that they must be met at the cost of our health,” Shivute said in Windhoek on Saturday, at an event to mark the International Day for Judicial Well-being. “A set of scales, however finely made, cannot weigh anything accurately once its balance is damaged.
High Court orders release recommendation for paralysed inmate
A High Court judge has ordered the medical officer of Windhoek Correctional Facility to make a recommendation for the release of an inmate who has become paralysed while serving a 20-year prison term on a charge of murder.
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