Muti-murder suspect in court on charge of pillaging a grave

ONE of three men acquitted in the Rundu Regional Court in April on charges of murdering an elderly woman with the plan to sell some of her body parts as muti, was back in court again on Monday, this time on charges that he dug up a grave to steal a coffin and remove the foot of the man buried in it.

Simon Ruvetha (32) appeared before Assistant Magistrate Nebukadneser Noabeb in the Rundu Magistrate’s Court on charges of violating a grave, violating a dead body, and theft. Public Prosecutor Carlo McLeod asked the Assistant Magistrate to postpone Ruvetha’s case to November 8 for further investigation.Ruvetha was remanded in custody until then.The Police arrested Ruvetha at Popa village, some 210 kilometres east of Rundu, last Thursday.That was after a coffin used to bury someone on August 20 was allegedly found in Ruvetha’s hut.The Police have been reported as saying that they suspect Ruvetha dug up the grave of the elderly Mupika Mupondo to steal his coffin.After the casket was allegedly discovered in Ruvetha’s hut, the grave was dug up again, and it was found that Mupondo’s right foot had been cut off and was missing.Ruvetha has previously faced charges of murder and violating a dead human body, on which he was found not guilty in the Rundu Regional Court on April 6.The State intends to appeal to the High Court to overturn that acquittal.In that first case, Ruvetha and two co-suspects were accused of killing an elderly woman, Thihawa Thihaka, at Popa village in October 2002.It was claimed that they then performed a gruesome ritual of cutting off parts of her body – such as her hands and ears – and of cutting out her heart, liver and eyes, planning to sell these body parts as witchcraft material.Ruvetha and one of his co-accused admitted taking part in the killing of Thihaka when they first appeared in the Rundu Magistrate’s Court in early November 2002.However, when their trial started in the Regional Court more than two years later, they claimed that they had admitted guilt under duress.One of Ruvetha’s co-accused in that case, Haushiku Moyo, nevertheless still told the court that Ruvetha had killed the woman and cut up her body.Moyo testified that Ruvetha had forced him to hold Thihaka’s hands while Ruvetha stabbed her to death.Moyo also told the court that he witnessed the subsequent dismemberment of the victim’s body.Ruvetha denied that he was ever at the scene of the killing.The Magistrate, remarking that the case against the two main suspects had been based solely on confessions that they claimed had been made under duress, ruled that the case against them had not been proven.Public Prosecutor Carlo McLeod asked the Assistant Magistrate to postpone Ruvetha’s case to November 8 for further investigation.Ruvetha was remanded in custody until then.The Police arrested Ruvetha at Popa village, some 210 kilometres east of Rundu, last Thursday.That was after a coffin used to bury someone on August 20 was allegedly found in Ruvetha’s hut.The Police have been reported as saying that they suspect Ruvetha dug up the grave of the elderly Mupika Mupondo to steal his coffin.After the casket was allegedly discovered in Ruvetha’s hut, the grave was dug up again, and it was found that Mupondo’s right foot had been cut off and was missing.Ruvetha has previously faced charges of murder and violating a dead human body, on which he was found not guilty in the Rundu Regional Court on April 6.The State intends to appeal to the High Court to overturn that acquittal.In that first case, Ruvetha and two co-suspects were accused of killing an elderly woman, Thihawa Thihaka, at Popa village in October 2002.It was claimed that they then performed a gruesome ritual of cutting off parts of her body – such as her hands and ears – and of cutting out her heart, liver and eyes, planning to sell these body parts as witchcraft material.Ruvetha and one of his co-accused admitted taking part in the killing of Thihaka when they first appeared in the Rundu Magistrate’s Court in early November 2002.However, when their trial started in the Regional Court more than two years later, they claimed that they had admitted guilt under duress.One of Ruvetha’s co-accused in that case, Haushiku Moyo, nevertheless still told the court that Ruvetha had killed the woman and cut up her body.Moyo testified that Ruvetha had forced him to hold Thihaka’s hands while Ruvetha stabbed her to death.Moyo also told the court that he witnessed the subsequent dismemberment of the victim’s body.Ruvetha denied that he was ever at the scene of the killing.The Magistrate, remarking that the case against the two main suspects had been based solely on confessions that they claimed had been made under duress, ruled that the case against them had not been proven.