30 years for panga killer

A 31-year-old resident of an Ohangwena Region village was sentenced to 30 years’ imprisonment late last week after he was found guilty in the High Court at Oshakati of murdering his girlfriend by slashing her throat with a panga.

Judge Louis Muller sentenced Teophelus Nghilongwa Nepando, a cattle herder from Ongha village in the Ohangwena Region, on Thursday last week. Nepando had been on trial on a charge of murder and two counts of assault by threat.It was alleged that on the night of October 13 2004 Nepando armed himself with a panga and threatened to cut his girlfriend, the late Paulina Johannes, with it at Ongha village.On October 16 2004, he again threatened to cut a certain Tresia Molongela with a panga, it was further alleged.That same day, his alleged threats had been transformed into bloody and deadly action when he killed Paulina Johannes (24) by attacking her with a panga, it was charged.The prosecution alleged that Nepando finally killed Johannes by slitting her throat with the weapon.Nepando pleaded not guilty to all charges.Judge Muller acquitted him on the two assault charges, because there was not sufficient evidence to prove that he had committed those alleged crimes.He however convicted Nepando on the murder charge.The court heard that Nepando and Johannes were involved in a relationship and that they lived together.The prosecution alleged that on October 13 2004, they quarrelled and Nepando pulled out a panga, intending to assault Johannes with it.Johannes however managed to escape to her parents’ house.Three days later, Nepando went there and persuaded Johannes to go with him to their home.On their way, it was alleged, Nepando attacked Johannes with the panga he had intended to use on her on the night of October 13 2004.He cut and hacked her several times with the panga before he finally slit her throat with it, the prosecution charged.At the time Nepando was attacking Johannes, a passer-by, Tresia Molongela, told Nepando to stop hitting Johannes, but Nepando threateningly moved towards her carrying a panga and she fled, the court heard.Johannes died on the spot in a pool of blood.Many of the residents of Ongha went to the scene and found Johannes lying in a pool of blood, dead.At the same time, Nepando went to the Ongha Police and reported the incident himself to the Police, saying he had killed Johannes, the court heard.However, during the trial Nepando denied he had attacked Johannes.He claimed he and Johannes had become involved in a tussle for possession of the panga, that she fell in this process, and that in this fall the panga cut her throat from ear to ear.Judge Muller rejected this defence as not being a reasonable version of the events, and convicted him of murder.Nepando testified in mitigation of sentence after his defence lawyer, Frieda Kishi, called him to the witness stand.He told the court that he only went to school up to Grade 3, and has five children who were taken care of by his mother and other relatives while he was in jail, waiting to be tried.He said he also believed that his family paid compensation to Johannes’s family as it is a tradition.He has remorse for what he did and feels bad about what he did, he said.Deputy Prosecutor-General Heidi Jacobs, who represented the State during the trial, argued before the sentencing that society would demand that Nepando be punished severely for committing such a brutal and heinous deed.She suggested a sentence of 35 years’ imprisonment.During the sentencing, Judge Muller told Nepando that his actions cannot be tolerated in any society and that his punishment should be one that will deter him and other would-be offenders who might want to try to commit the same crime.The prevalence of this type of offence is there for anyone to read in the newspapers or hear over the radio or see on television, the Judge commented.Namibia’s courts are confronted with all these incidents and severe sentences have to be imposed, Judge Muller said.In Nepando’s case, he would be neglecting his duty if he did not impose a severe sentence, the Judge added before he announced that he was sentencing Nepando to 30 years in jail.Nepando had been on trial on a charge of murder and two counts of assault by threat.It was alleged that on the night of October 13 2004 Nepando armed himself with a panga and threatened to cut his girlfriend, the late Paulina Johannes, with it at Ongha village.On October 16 2004, he again threatened to cut a certain Tresia Molongela with a panga, it was further alleged.That same day, his alleged threats had been transformed into bloody and deadly action when he killed Paulina Johannes (24) by attacking her with a panga, it was charged.The prosecution alleged that Nepando finally killed Johannes by slitting her throat with the weapon.Nepando pleaded not guilty to all charges. Judge Muller acquitted him on the two assault charges, because there was not sufficient evidence to prove that he had committed those alleged crimes.He however convicted Nepando on the murder charge.The court heard that Nepando and Johannes were involved in a relationship and that they lived together.The prosecution alleged that on October 13 2004, they quarrelled and Nepando pulled out a panga, intending to assault Johannes with it.Johannes however managed to escape to her parents’ house.Three days later, Nepando went there and persuaded Johannes to go with him to their home.On their way, it was alleged, Nepando attacked Johannes with the panga he had intended to use on her on the night of October 13 2004.He cut and hacked her several times with the panga before he finally slit her throat with it, the prosecution charged.At the time Nepando was attacking Johannes, a passer-by, Tresia Molongela, told Nepando to stop hitting Johannes, but Nepando threateningly moved towards her carrying a panga and she fled, the court heard.Johannes died on the spot in a pool of blood.Many of the residents of Ongha went to the scene and found Johannes lying in a pool of blood, dead.At the same time, Nepando went to the Ongha Police and reported the incident himself to the Police, saying he had killed Johannes, the court heard.However, during the trial Nepando denied he had attacked Johannes.He claimed he and Johannes had become involved in a tussle for possession of the panga, that she fell in this process, and that in this fall the panga cut her throat from ear to ear.Judge Muller rejected this defence as not being a reasonable version of the events, and convicted him of murder.Nepando testified in mitigation of sentence after his defence lawyer, Frieda Kishi, called him to the witness stand.He told the court that he only went to school up to Grade 3, and has five children who were taken care of by his mother and other relatives while he was in jail, waiting to be tried.He said he also believed that his family paid compensation to Johannes’s family as it is a tradition.He has remorse for what he did and feels bad about what he did, he said.Deputy Prosecutor-General Heidi Jacobs, who represented the State during the trial, argued before the sentencing that society would demand that Nepando be punished severely for committing such a brutal and heinous deed.She suggested a sentence of 35 years’ imprisonment.During the sentencing, Judge Muller told Nepando that his actions cannot be tolerated in any society and that his punishment should be one that will deter him and other would-be offenders who might want to try to commit the same crime.The prevalence of this type of offence is there for anyone to read in the newspapers or hear over the radio or see on television, the Judge commented.Namibia’s courts are confronted with all these incidents and severe sentences have to be imposed, Judge Muller said.In Nepando’s case, he would be neglecting his duty if he did not impose a severe sentence, the Judge added before he announced that he was sentencing Nepando to 30 years in jail.