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Thursday, February 22, 2001 - Web posted at 7:20:18 AM GMT Infamous murderer free after early release A NOTORIOUS panga murderer has been released from prison after serving only 10 years of a 17-year sentence due to the combination of an old Apartheid law and a presidential pardon. Nehemia Tjaporokota Tjiho was jailed for one of the most horrific murder cases in independent Namibia: he hacked and shot his wife to death in 1990, slashing her at least 26 times. He got his lucky break because of a previous prisons law that allowed for remission and parole after a convict had served a third of his or her sentence. The authorities say he was a model prisoner. In fact, Tjiho is said to have fathered a child in 1995 or 1996 with the help of prison officials who allowed him to meet with a girlfriend against regulations. The law has since changed. Since 1998 people jailed for serious crimes, including murder, treason, rape, robbery and stock theft, have to serve their sentences in full." "This guy is lucky because we are talking of the old act," said Ministry of Prisons and Correctional Services spokesman Ignatius Mainga. "This guy was sentenced under the old act. That's why he was able to get this treatment of parole." "Mainga said Tjiho was given a remission of five years and eight months because he was well behaved and had no disciplinary cases against him during his stint in the Windhoek Central Prison." "He should have been released in April 2002 but then the presidential pardon was announced [and] he was found to be suitable for a further remission of one year and six months," said Mainga. Tjiho, whose name Tjaporokota means a mish-mash, shot and hacked his common law wife, Oscarline Zatjirua, to death on May 16 1990. A neighbour testified that she saw Tjiho walking out of the house that morning with a pistol in his left hand and blood-soaked clothes. She asked him three times if someone she wanted to see was in the house but he just walked past her, got into a vehicle and drove off. The doctor who conducted the autopsy found at least 26 panga cuts on Zatjirua's head and body. Tjiho did not testify in court, but made a statement at the time of his arrest. In that statement, which was not made under oath, he claimed his wife had not slept at home and had only returned at 10h00 in the morning. When Tjiho confronted her, Zatjirua allegedly grabbed a panga from the kitchen and tried to attack him. He then took a pistol belonging to a friend and fired shots, apparently to scare her. Tjiho claimed Zatjirua continued to attack him while they tussled over the two weapons. His pistol fell and he managed to grab the panga from her. A wounded Zatjirua somehow got hold of the pistol and tried to shoot him, according to Tjiho's statement. He then went on the hacking rampage, but said he did not remember how many times he raised his hand and brought the blade down on her flesh and bones. She was found in a pool of blood. Her last request was to be given water. The court cast doubt on the veracity of the statement, saying it was inconceivable that Tjiho could have escaped the fight unscathed. The court said the severity of some blows virtually amputated Zatjirua's fingers. On November 15 1990 Tjiho was sentenced to an effective 17 years behind bars. Said Mainga: "Under the new act you will not get this treatment of parole." |
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