Give us a second chance – Ninja

SOMEWHERE between one more killing in the city and the obscurity of those who lost loved ones are the high walls of the Windhoek Correctional Facility where one man is still haunted by the faces of those he murdered years back.

Once a notorious gang leader, Ninja (real name Paulus Shimweefeleni) said he is a changed man, and a relic of his violent past. Ninja is a name that aptly sums up what Shimweefeleni’s reputation is all about.

got up-close and personal with Shimweefeleni during a visit by the First Lady Monica Geingos to the prison complex on Wednesday.

Shimweefeleni said he used to be a dangerous man and recalled as well that he was once just an ordinary boy growing up at Oshakati before he became a nightmare to many.

Locked away for good, Shimweefeleni was described by many as the most difficult prisoner in the country who exerts enormous power over those around him. When asked if he was still dangerous and difficult, he smiled nervously and said:

“Yes, I was known as that but after 18 years behind these walls I am rehabilitated. I think it is time for us to be given a second chance,” Shimweefeleni said.

Neatly dressed in prison garb and sporting a fresh haircut, it is hard to tell whether Shimweefeleni is still feared or respected.

Shimweefeleni was busy in the prison workshop, seated behind a sewing machine. When he saw Geingos, he jumped to his feet and could not contain his joy.

He greeted Geingos with a wide smile, and for a moment there was a sign of relief on the faces of some inmates.

After Geingos had left, sat down with Shimweefeleni, to find out why he thinks he needs a second chance.

He recalls that winter day when he was arrested in 1997 and that he used to be wild. Shimweefeleni also said he thought he was untouchable.

“I did many things and got off the hook. I murdered and was one of the notorious robbers. I was driving from Kamanjab when police arrested me. I never thought I would become the changed man I am today. I am HIV positive and all I want is to spend my last days with my family,” Shimweefeleni said.

His face takes on a more serious expression when he talks about his children.

“I have four kids with different women. They were very young when I was sentenced but now they are grown up and I feel very embarrassed when they see me here in these clothes,” Shimweefeleni said.

There is an uneasy silence, and to break it, Shimweefeleni started sewing the garment he was working on and looked up and said in a voice that will almost make you feel sorry for him “I’ll probably die here”.

“I have accepted that, but I would appreciate it if the government and the nation gave people like us a second chance,” he added while looking down.

Shimweefeleni, then 25 years old, was sentenced in the Windhoek High Court to life imprisonment for murder and a 22-year jail term for robbery with aggravating circumstances and illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition in February 1999. He and two co-accused were sentenced for robbing and murdering a young taxi driver in Windhoek in June 1997.

In November 1998, Shimweefeleni had also been sentenced to an effective 17 years’ imprisonment on other armed robbery charges.

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