Accused tells court he had no knowledge of prosecutor Shiweda attack

Petrus Shikwaya (21), one of the accused in the case linked to the fatal attack on Ondangwa-based public prosecutor Justine Shiweda, told the Ondangwa Regional Court that his uncle used him without his knowledge.

Testifying during his bail hearing at the Ondangwa Regional Court yesterday, Shikwaya said he did not know Shiweda and had never heard of her prior to the case.

“I have never seen her or heard about her. I have no idea nor prior knowledge about the incident. I was also not present on the day of the incident. I was in Windhoek,” he told the court.

Shikwaya said his uncle, Abner Mateus, a former Namibian police officer, used his bank account to carry out fraudulent activities without his knowledge.

According to Shikwaya, Mateus deposited N$2 000 into his bank account every month, and the money was then paid to Sanlam Namibia as a monthly instalment.

He said the money was at one point paid into his account with Sanlam listed as the reference, but he did not know what it was for.

“I don’t know where the money was coming from. I later learnt that apparently I was hospitalised at Onandjokwe [Intermediate] Hospital and that I submitted a claim to Sanlam, which I am not aware of,” Shikwaya said.

“I didn’t know it had to do with any claim of money,” he said.

Shikwaya described Mateus as someone very close to him who played a significant role in his life.

“He was more like a father to me. At some point he also gave me a red Suzuki, which I later sold in 2023. He told me he was running businesses at Katima Mulilo. After learning about the Sanlam case, I believe he was possibly doing unlawful acts,” he told the court.

Shikwaya also testified that he had sent money to an individual he did not know, allegedly on his uncle’s instructions. That money, he said, was later used to buy acid that was used in the attack on Shiweda.

“I sent the money on my uncle’s instruction and I could not ask for the name of the person I am sending it to and what it is going to be used for. It’s not my money,” he said.

The court also heard details about the events leading to Shikwaya’s arrest on 16 November 2025.

He explained that he had transported his uncle from a lodge in Windhoek to town after receiving a call from him.

“I drove him after he called me to take him to town. He was accompanied by two people, a man and a woman,” he said.

At the time, Shikwaya said he was working as a Yango driver and did not know the individuals accompanying his uncle.

However, he later became suspicious after discovering a Namibian Police-branded reflective jacket in his vehicle.

“I did not know the people, but I later learnt that the male person was a police officer because he had dropped his Namibian Police reflective jacket in my car,” he said.

He added that his uncle paid him N$200 for the trip and informed him that he had been granted bail, as he had previously been in custody.

Shikwaya also told the court about his personal background and responsibilities, saying he comes from a family of a soldier and a teacher and is the eldest of three siblings who are currently in grades 11, 9 and 7.

“I would help my siblings with homework and assist with house chores such as cooking,” he said.

He described himself as an average pupil who obtained 25 points in Grade 11 in 2022 and did not proceed to tertiary education.

Shikwaya said he had been working as a driving instructor at his uncle’s driving school in Windhoek, earning a 30% commission, which amounted to between N$3 000 and N$4 000 per month.

In addition, he occasionally worked as a Yango driver, earning between N$7 000 and N$8 000 monthly.

He revealed that his future ambitions have been disrupted following his arrest. He had planned to study cybersecurity in China, or to pursue an information technology (IT) course at a Lingua College in Windhoek.

Shikwaya also disclosed that he had been shortlisted for training with the Namibian Defence Force this year.

“I was shortlisted to go for training in 2026, but by the time I saw my name in the newspaper, I was already in custody,” he said.

He told the court that his arrest has shattered both his educational and career aspirations.

Shikwaya informed the court that although a murder charge against him was withdrawn in a Windhoek court last week, he remains in custody facing charges related to corruption.

His defence lawyer, Murray Shikongo, argued that the state has a weak case against his client.

The matter continues in the Ondangwa Regional Court today.

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