Police officer’s double murder trial postponed

THE trial of a Policeman accused of murdering two women – and raping one of them – at Sesfontein in the Kunene Region in early 2005 failed to start as scheduled in the High Court at Oshakati this week due to a change in the suspect’s legal representation.

The trial of Ernst Elton Mukuwe (31) was scheduled to start before Acting Judge Christie Liebenberg on Monday. Mukuwe appeared in court without legal representation, after his former defence lawyer, Jan Wessels, withdrew from his case.By Tuesday, another defence lawyer, Grace Mugaviri of the firm Kishi Legal Practitioners, had taken over as Mukuwe’s legal representative. With Mugaviri having received instructions to represent Mukuwe only on Monday, the case had to be postponed to obtain a new trial date.Mukuwe now has to appear in court again on January 22, when a new date for the start of his trial is supposed to be set.He is remaining free on bail of N$3 000, which was granted to him in June last year.Mukuwe was arrested on February 21 2005, after two women – Albertine Tjitana (75) and Hulda Sonja Mibagu Tjitana, who was reported to be 19 years old – were found murdered at Sesfontein.Mukuwe was a Police Constable working at the Sesfontein Police Station at the time.He is now facing two counts of murder and charges of rape, housebreaking with intent to steal and malicious damage to property, theft and malicious damage to property.It is alleged that during the night of February 20 to 21 2005 Mukuwe broke into the Sesfontein Police Station and tried to steal firearms from a steel cabinet, which he did not manage to open.After leaving the Police station, it is charged, Mukuwe allegedly went to a house where he thought his girlfriend was. There, he allegedly raped the younger woman and killed her by strangling her, it is alleged.He then found the elderly Tjitana sleeping nearby and killed her, too, by strangling her, the prosecution is charging.He finally stole a suitcase with clothes and toiletries from the house where the first murder had been committed and went to burn its contents, it is also alleged.Mukuwe allegedly left Sesfontein after the crimes, and was arrested outside the town the next day.Public Prosecutor Neville Wamambo was set to represent the State in the trial, which was scheduled to take place up to November 30.A Police spokesperson, Warrant Officer Kauna Shikwambi, said yesterday that Mukuwe was suspended from his post in the Police on February 21 2005. According to her, he is still on suspension.