Acting Judge John Manyarara sentenced Iihuhwa to 25 years' imprisonment for the murder of the 29-year-old Elizabeth Queen Itembu at Havana in Windhoek on October 3 2004, and to a ten-year jail term on an additional charge of attempted murder, with half of that term ordered to be served concurrently with the sentence on the murder charge.

In addition to pleading guilty to a charge that he had murdered Itembu, Iihuhwa admitted guilt to a charge that he had attempted to murder another woman, Linea Uusiku, on the same occasion that Itembu was stabbed to death.

Iihuhwa, a 37-year-old, married father of six children who has been working as a hotel chef for the past 18 years, told Acting Judge Manyarara on Thursday that he went to Itembu's house on the day of the incident after he had received a phone call from her.

He said he and Itembu had previously ironed out their differences over gossip that he said Itembu and Uusiku had been involved in.

He said they had been making claims that his wife was pregnant with a child that had not been fathered by him.

After he had arrived at Itembu's house, she swore at him, and this sent him into a fit of anger, Iihuhwa told the court.

He admitted that he had taken a kitchen knife with him to Itembu's house, and that he used this weapon to stab her in the back when she tried to get away from him after seeing the knife.

According to an autopsy report that is part of the evidence before the court, Itembu was stabbed three times.

A stab wound to her left shoulder was the fatal injury that ended her life.

Iihuhwa also admitted that he stabbed Uusiku, after she had hit him on his back following the stabbing of Itembu.

"They are ghastly, to say the least," Acting Judge Manyarara commented during the sentencing on the injuries suffered by Itembu.

Acting Judge Manyarara told Iihuhwa that it was clear that he had taken the knife with him to Itembu's house with the intention to do what was depicted on the photographs before the court.

"This was a savage and persistent attack by a grown man on a defenceless woman, and not justified by the reasons you gave for attacking her," Iihuhwa was told.

Acting Judge Manyarara noted that State advocate Sandra Miller, who conducted the prosecution against Iihuhwa, conceded that mitigating factors in his favour was that immediately after the incident he went to give himself up to the Police, that he cooperated with the Police, pleaded guilty, expressed remorse and had paid N$7 200 in compensation to Itembu's family.

Against the nature of the crime, Iihuhwa's personal circumstances however "pale into insignificance", Acting Judge Manyarara said.

He added that a stiff sentence was called for, to express society's indignation at all violence.

Iihuhwa stood trial without legal representation, after the Directorate of Legal Aid refused to instruct a defence counsel to act on his behalf following the withdrawal of previous lawyers who had represented him.

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