Sometimes when the boy, Heinrich Tangi Tshafa, sees the colour red, he remarks that it is his mother's blood, Acting Judge John Manyarara heard when the boy's father and Tshafa's widower, Desiderius Tshafa, testified in Konstantinus's trial in the High Court in Windhoek yesterday.

Sometimes when the boy sees a Police vehicle, he remarks that his mother is inside - because he saw when his murdered mother's body was loaded into such a vehicle, Mr Tshafa said.

Sometimes the boy tells his three siblings or other people how his mother looked when she was shot, and demonstrates how she lay with her head tilted back, making gurgling sounds.

He was testifying in aggravation of the sentence that Acting Judge Manyarara is scheduled to impose on Konstantinus on Thursday next week.

Konstantinus (26) pleaded guilty to charges of murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, theft of a shotgun, and illegal possession of a shotgun and five rounds of ammunition for the gun at the start of his trial yesterday.

In a plea explanation read to the court by defence lawyer Unanisa Hengari, Konstantinus admitted that on March 2 last year he murdered Tshafa by shooting her in the chest with a shotgun.

He had stolen the shotgun the day before from the company where he was employed as a security guard at Oshakati, Konstantinus also admitted.

Having shot Tshafa, he threw her son out of the vehicle, which was standing still at the time, because he was crying.

Konstantinus then drove off with Tshafa's bakkie.

The shooting took place at Engombo, a village near Oshakati.

According to a statement he made to the Police after his arrest on March 4, Konstantinus used the bakkie as a taxi, driving around passengers for payment, for two days before he was arrested.

During an appearance in the Oshakati Magistrate's Court on March 7 last year, Konstantinus also pleaded guilty to charges of murder and robbery with aggravating circumstances.

"I do not know why I did that," he told the Magistrate who took down his plea when he was asked why he had shot and killed Tshafa.

"I do not know why I did it," he further answered when he was asked why he had robbed her.

In the statement he made to the Police after his arrest, Konstantinus related at length that he was walking from Oshakati, heading to Oshikuku to the northwest, when he saw a Toyota bakkie approaching him.

He indicated that the driver, which was Tshafa, should stop, and she did.

He then asked her to get out of the bakkie, and pointed the shotgun at her.

She first questioned his order to get out of the vehicle, and when he repeated the order and continued pointing the gun at her, she started screaming.

"I opened her door and I shot the lady with my shotgun," Konstantinus stated to the Police.

"I pull her out and she fall down behind my legs."

The boy was standing inside the bakkie, crying out his mother's name, Konstantinus told the Police.

He said he then pulled the boy out of the vehicle as well and threw him down where his mother was lying.

As he drove off he could see that Tshafa was dead.

In the time since his arrest Konstantinus had "turned his life to God and attends Bible study in prison", Hengari told Acting Judge Manyarara.

Konstantinus now read the Bible constantly.

He regretted his actions and was asking for forgiveness for the sorrow he had caused to Tshafa's family, Hengari said.

"She was everything to me - my whole life," Desiderius Tshafa stated from the witness stand.

"I don't think there is anyone who can replace her."

When asked by Hengari if, as a Christian, he has not forgiven Konstantinus, Mr Tshafa replied that this is a very difficult issue to deal with.

"I will leave it in God's hands.

God can deal with him," he said.

By admitting guilt, cooperating with the Police and turning to religion, Konstantinus had shown that he could be rehabilitated, Hengari argued.

He asked Acting Judge Manyarara to impose "a moderate to lenient" sentence on Konstantinus, so that he will still have a chance to become rehabilitated and to return to society after serving his sentence.

"This is one of the most barbaric, callous, cold-blooded, heinous crimes that I've ever heard of," State advocate Zenobia Barry remarked when she addressed the court on the sentence.

She asked the court to send Konstantinus to prison for a lengthy period of time, and commented that while he was now asking the court to have mercy on him, he had shown none to Tshafa or her son on March 2 last year.

Konstantinus remains in Police custody.

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