Residents of Onambaba village in the Ohangwena region are outraged over the granting of bail to a pensioner (63) accused of shooting a local Pentecostal pastor.
The incident occurred on the evening of 5 December at the residence of pastor Lukas Mokaxwa, who was shot in the shoulder and survived the attack.
He says the shooting took place shortly after he and his family returned from a sport tournament earlier that day.
“It started raining, so my wife, my assistant and I decided to take home some items. When we arrived, a vehicle pulled up at the gate. A resident of the village, Frans Makanda, came out and demanded to see his girlfriend, whom he alleged was inside my house,” Mokaxwa says.
The pastor says Makanda has a child with his assistant, Cecilia Petrus (40), but says the two had not been together for several years as Makanda is married.
“He returned to his vehicle and I followed him to ask that he remove it from the driveway. Suddenly, I heard a loud bang and realised I had been shot in the shoulder,” Mokaxwa says.
Makanda allegedly entered the homestead with a firearm before another man intervened and grabbed the weapon, forcing him to flee.
It is further alleged that Makanda later went to the Omungwelume Police Station, where he reportedly gave police officers N$3 000 and instructed them to collect Mokaxwa’s “dead body” from his home.
However, when the police arrived, they found Mokaxwa alive and transported him to hospital for medical treatment.
Makanda was arrested on the same day and charged with attempted murder. He was released from police custody after being granted bail of N$1 500 on Monday.
Mokaxwa has strongly criticised the decision to grant Makanda bail.
“It is not right for someone to shoot me and then be granted bail. This matter must be looked into. If I were to do the same thing to him, would I also be granted bail? This is not right,” he says.
Community members have also raised concerns, claiming Makanda is a threat to their safety.
“We are afraid to live in this community because that man thinks he is untouchable. The police and the court did not do the right thing by granting him bail. He still has his gun and continues to threaten people,” residents say.
When contacted for comment this week, Makanda admitted to shooting the pastor and said he had no remorse.
“That is not a pastor; that is a wolf who came here to sleep with our women. I shot him because he is sleeping with a woman I have a child with. Leave me alone, I have other matters to deal with in this village,” he said.
Ohangwena crime investigations coordinator deputy commissioner Mamsy Mburu has confirmed that a case of attempted murder has been registered.
“The matter is before court, and all further issues relating to bail and proceedings must be handled through the judicial process,” Mburu says.
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