Young man charged over woman’s murder

Werner Menges

A 23-YEAR-OLD man has made a first court appearance in connection with the alleged murder of a woman whose body was found in her house in Windhoek early last week.

The accused, Donovan Bostander, was arrested on Wednesday.

He appeared in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court in Katutura on Friday on charges of murder and robbery with aggravating circumstances.

Mona Potgieter’s body was found locked up in her bedroom in Wanaheda four days after she was last seen alive.

Police spokesperson Chief Inspector Kauna Shikwambi said on Friday that an autopsy on Potgieter showed that she had died of suffocation, two stab wounds to the left side of her chest and skull fractures.

Shikwambi said the police suspected that she was suffocated with a plastic bag.

Bostander is accused of murdering Potgieter on 25 July - the day she was last seen alive - and robbing her of her cellphone and two gold rings.

His rights to legal representation were explained to him during the court appearance before Magistrate Conchita Olivier. He said that he wanted to instruct a lawyer of his own choice to represent him. Bostander was remanded in police custody after Public Prosecutor Menencia Hinda told the magistrate that the prosecution was opposed to the granting of bail. The case was postponed to 5 November to allow further investigations and to give Bostander time to arrange his legal representation.