Justine Shiweda: The Ondangwa prosecutor killed for doing her job

“Why me? What did I do wrong? I was just doing my job.”

These were reportedly the final words of Ondangwa Magistrate’s Court control prosecutor Justine Shiweda a few weeks before she died in a Windhoek hospital.

Her colleague, Lydia Kambonde, says they had hoped Shiweda (32) would make it out of the hospital alive, as she was still able to speak despite experiencing a lot of pain.

Shiweda was shot and doused with a corrosive substance in front of her children in October last year over a case she was handling.

Six suspects were arrested in connection with the attack, which has now turned into a murder case following her death a week ago.

Her death has sparked fears for the safety of public prosecutors, with the legal fraternity calling for urgent changes to their working conditions.

Speaking on behalf of Shiweda’s colleagues at her memorial service at Onambango village on Friday, Kambonde said the prosecutor’s final words still linger in their minds.

“In her final days, she asked a question that still lingers in our hearts.

She asked, ‘Why me? What did I do wrong? I was just doing my job.’ To this day, we do not have an answer to that question.

Her life was taken away far too soon, but her impact cannot be erased,” Kambonde told attendees.

Shiweda was buried at Onambango village on Saturday.

Kambonde said the seeds Shiweda had planted with her integrity, her kindness and her dedication to justice will continue to bear fruit for generations to come.

She described her late colleague as a fierce yet kind-hearted woman at the prime of her career, noting that Shiweda remained strong even in her own moments of need.

Her colleagues say Shiweda’s death should force institutions and leaders to look inward.

“The death of Justine must not be in vain. We call on the responsible channels to bring changes – changes in the conditions under which court officials live and work,” said Kambonde.

Shiweda’s friend, Elly Kalumbu, during her funeral described her as brave.
“Justine lived for her children.

She would often tell us, ‘I’m fighting for my children’. Those words were her prayer, her mission and her breath.

She was a mother first and a fierce, unwavering spirit in their lives.

I remember the day she was wounded. The children were restricted from visiting her.

However, Justine with the bullets still in her body and the acid wounds, stood up from her bed and went to meet her children outside. That was who Justine was,” she said.

“She stood her ground and you would start to doubt yourself, even if you were right.

She had such a fighting spirit. We have witnessed Justine in so many phases but what we can collectively declare is that she was brave, and we watched her be brave until the very end,” said Kalumbu.

Prosecutor general Martha Imalwa during Shiweda’s funeral service said Shiweda’s death will not defeat justice.

She said Shiweda’s blood will become the “cement that strengthens the walls of the courts”.

Attorney general Festus Mbandeka last week said that although there have been attacks on prosecutors in the past, the assault on Shiweda was the first of its kind in Namibia.

“She died a very tragic death in the sense that she was attacked and killed because she was doing her work on behalf of this nation,” he said.

Meanwhile, prime minister Elijah Ngurare at the funeral announced that the Oshana governor’s office will facilitate registering a trust fund for Shiweda’s children.

He said the trust fund will ensure the children’s education is funded through university, as well as their well-being until they are 18.

“Everyone is welcome to donate. . . The money will be well kept and well managed because we want to ensure that the children are kept in school until they reach university level without any hindrances,” he said.

Shiweda is survived by her two children, parents and siblings.

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