Woman goes on trial for triple murder

THE trial of a Kavango Region resident who is accused of having murdered her mother-in-law and two children in late 2002 by setting their hut on fire started in the High Court in Windhoek on Friday.

Maria Kandingo (28) is facing three charges of murder, three counts of attempted murder, and a charge of arson in connection with the deadly incident. On Friday, she pleaded not guilty to all the murder and attempted murder charges, but admitted guilt on the charge of arson.Kandingo is admitting that she set fire to the hut where her mother-in-law used to sleep, but she is claiming that she did not know that there were people sleeping inside at that stage, her defence lawyer, Bradley Basson, told Judge Kato van Niekerk in explanation of her plea.The incident took place at Mururani village at the southern gateway to the Kavango Region on the evening of December 5 2002.Three people died in the fire that Kandingo now admits to have started.They were Kandingo’s mother-in-law, Selma Kambuki Kasivi (52), and two of Kasivi’s grandchildren – a four-year-old boy, Paulus Kampanza Sinana, and a two-year-old girl, Mulweyi Regina Musasa.Basson told the court that Kandingo’s explanation is that anger at her mother-in-law prompted her to commit the act of arson.In her plea explanation Kandingo said that she had reported to her mother-in-law earlier that day that her husband – Kasivi’s son – had stabbed her with a knife the previous day.She received no immediate help from Kasivi, so that evening she asked her husband for matches, Kandingo stated.At that stage she was planning to set her husband’s hut on fire, but then she changed her mind, with terrible consequences.She decided to instead set Kasivi’s hut on fire – but did not know that her mother-in-law and five of her grandchildren were asleep inside at the time, Kandingo claims.”I was very angry and felt helpless because my mother-in-law was aware of what her son was doing to me, but did nothing to assist me in my suffering,” she states in her plea explanation.”I felt hurt and wanted to hurt her back by setting fire to her hut.”One of the people asleep inside the hut was Victoria Haingura, then aged eight.She was the second witness that State advocate Rolanda Gertze called to testify for the prosecution on Friday.”I don’t know what went through Kandingo’s mind.Maybe she wanted me to also burn to death,” the little girl stated at one point in her testimony.”I could have died also,” she added.She told the court that Kandingo had seen her grandmother, Kasivi, and the children retiring into the hut for the night.During the night, she woke up from a burning sensation, Haingura related.She said she immediately woke up the two girls who were sleeping next to her, and they then ran outside.She also tried to wake up her grandmother and the 4-year-old boy, Paulus Sinana, but her grandmother did not wake up, Haingura said.She added that after getting out of the hut, she turned around again and went back into the burning hut.She tried to rescue the 2-year-old Regina Musasa – but as she tried to run out of the hut again, she found Kandingo at the door.Kandingo had a spade in her hands which she pushed in front of her feet, so she tripped over that and fell, Haingura told the Judge.She dropped Regina to the floor in the process.”She took the spade and put it in such a way that I fell.She wanted me to burn to death also,” Haingura claimed.She added that a piece of burning wood then fell on her back, and that she then got up and managed to run outside.Regina Musasa remained behind, lying quietly, Haingura said.”I thought that if I had to turn back to get her, I would also burn to death,” she testified.In the meantime, Kandingo was just standing there, she added.Kandingo was making no effort to rescue the toddler, Haingura told the Judge.The trial continues today with Haingura set to face cross-examination from Basson.On Friday, she pleaded not guilty to all the murder and attempted murder charges, but admitted guilt on the charge of arson.Kandingo is admitting that she set fire to the hut where her mother-in-law used to sleep, but she is claiming that she did not know that there were people sleeping inside at that stage, her defence lawyer, Bradley Basson, told Judge Kato van Niekerk in explanation of her plea.The incident took place at Mururani village at the southern gateway to the Kavango Region on the evening of December 5 2002.Three people died in the fire that Kandingo now admits to have started.They were Kandingo’s mother-in-law, Selma Kambuki Kasivi (52), and two of Kasivi’s grandchildren – a four-year-old boy, Paulus Kampanza Sinana, and a two-year-old girl, Mulweyi Regina Musasa.Basson told the court that Kandingo’s explanation is that anger at her mother-in-law prompted her to commit the act of arson.In her plea explanation Kandingo said that she had reported to her mother-in-law earlier that day that her husband – Kasivi’s son – had stabbed her with a knife the previous day.She received no immediate help from Kasivi, so that evening she asked her husband for matches, Kandingo stated.At that stage she was planning to set her husband’s hut on fire, but then she changed her mind, with terrible consequences.She decided to instead set Kasivi’s hut on fire – but did not know that her mother-in-law and five of her grandchildren were asleep inside at the time, Kandingo claims.”I was very angry and felt helpless because my mother-in-law was aware of what her son was doing to me, but did nothing to assist me in my suffering,” she states in her plea explanation.”I felt hurt and wanted to hurt her back by setting fire to her hut.”One of the people asleep inside the hut was Victoria Haingura, then aged eight.She was the second witness that State advocate Rolanda Gertze called to testify for the prosecution on Friday.”I don’t know what went through Kandingo’s mind.Maybe she wanted me to also burn to death,” the little girl stated at one point in her testimony.”I could have died also,” she added.She told the court that Kandingo had seen her grandmother, Kasivi, and the children retiring into the hut for the night.During the night, she woke up from a burning sensation, Haingura related.She said she immediately woke up the two girls who were sleeping next to her, and they then ran outside.She also tried to wake up her grandmother and the 4-year-old boy, Paulus Sinana, but her grandmother did not wake up, Haingura said.She added that after getting out of the hut, she turned around again and went back into the burning hut.She tried to rescue the 2-year-old Regina Musasa – but as she tried to run out of the hut again, she found Kandingo at the door.Kandingo had a spade in her hands which she pushed in front of her feet, so she tripped over that and fell, Haingura told the Judge.She dropped Regina to the floor in the process.”She took the spade and put it in such a way that I fell.She wanted me to burn to death also,” Haingura claimed.She added that a piece of burning wood then fell on her back, and that she then got up and managed to run outside.Regina Musasa remained behind, lying quietly, Haingura said.”I thought that if I had to turn back to get her, I would also burn to death,” she testified.In the meantime, Kandingo was just standing there, she added.Kandingo was making no effort to rescue the toddler, Haingura told the Judge.The trial continues today with Haingura set to face cross-examination from Basson.