Suspect’s death ends triple murder trial

THE case in which a Kavango Region resident was accused of murdering three people – including her mother-in-law and two small children – through arson almost five years ago made a final return to the High Court in Windhoek yesterday.

The trial of triple murder suspect Maria Kandingo was supposed to proceed before Judge Kato van Niekerk yesterday with the hearing of final arguments from State advocate Rolanda Gertze and defence lawyer Bradley Basson before Judge Van Niekerk would have had to give her judgement in the matter. No verdict will now be delivered, though, after Gertze told the Judge that Kandingo died on June 22.She was 30 years old.On a death certificate that Gertze handed to Judge Van Niekerk – this became the final exhibit in Kandingo’s trial – she died from “natural causes” at Rundu.Having been informed of Kandingo’s death, Judge Van Niekerk removed her case from the court roll.Kandingo went on trial in the High Court on three counts of murder, three counts of attempted murder and a charge of arson on May 26 last year.She pleaded guilty to the arson charge, but denied guilt on the other six counts.On the three murder charges, however, Kandingo offered to admit guilt to culpable homicide.When this plea was not accepted by Gertze, a drawn-out trial, which was repeatedly interrupted because Kandingo was in ill health, ensued.Kandingo was accused of murdering her mother-in-law, Selma Kambuki Kasivi (52), and two of Kasivi’s grandchildren, Paulus Kampanza Sinana (4) and Mulweyi Regina Musasa (2), at Mururani village in the Kavango Region on December 5 2002.Kasivi, Sinana and Musasa burnt to death when the hut that they were sleeping in burnt to the ground.Another three children who had been sleeping in the hut with them managed to escape from the flames.Kandingo admitted that she started the fire.She however claimed in her plea explanation at the start of her trial that she did not know that anyone was sleeping in the hut when she set it on fire.She claimed that she wanted to do harm to her mother-in-law by burning down her hut, because Kasivi did not want to come to her assistance in the abusive and violent relationship with Kasivi’s son that Kandingo claimed to have been suffering under.No verdict will now be delivered, though, after Gertze told the Judge that Kandingo died on June 22.She was 30 years old.On a death certificate that Gertze handed to Judge Van Niekerk – this became the final exhibit in Kandingo’s trial – she died from “natural causes” at Rundu.Having been informed of Kandingo’s death, Judge Van Niekerk removed her case from the court roll.Kandingo went on trial in the High Court on three counts of murder, three counts of attempted murder and a charge of arson on May 26 last year.She pleaded guilty to the arson charge, but denied guilt on the other six counts.On the three murder charges, however, Kandingo offered to admit guilt to culpable homicide.When this plea was not accepted by Gertze, a drawn-out trial, which was repeatedly interrupted because Kandingo was in ill health, ensued.Kandingo was accused of murdering her mother-in-law, Selma Kambuki Kasivi (52), and two of Kasivi’s grandchildren, Paulus Kampanza Sinana (4) and Mulweyi Regina Musasa (2), at Mururani village in the Kavango Region on December 5 2002.Kasivi, Sinana and Musasa burnt to death when the hut that they were sleeping in burnt to the ground.Another three children who had been sleeping in the hut with them managed to escape from the flames.Kandingo admitted that she started the fire.She however claimed in her plea explanation at the start of her trial that she did not know that anyone was sleeping in the hut when she set it on fire.She claimed that she wanted to do harm to her mother-in-law by burning down her hut, because Kasivi did not want to come to her assistance in the abusive and violent relationship with Kasivi’s son that Kandingo claimed to have been suffering under.