A young girl, who was 13 years old when she allegedly witnessed the execution-style killing of her elder sister by a former paramedic in the Namibian Defence Force (NDF), recounted the ugly events that played out in 2018 when she testified before Windhoek High Court Judge Naomi Shivute on Friday.
The young girl, who is now 15 and may not be identified because of her age, was testifying in the murder trial of Johannes Nduvange Neuaka (41), accused of shooting his girlfriend and mother of his now five-year-old son at her mother’s house in Michael Angelo Street in Katutura. Neuaka is facing one charge of murder read with two counts of attempted murder, one count of assault read with the provisions of the Domestic Violence Act, one count of discharging a firearm in a public place, alternatively negligent handling of a firearm and counts of possessing a firearm and ammunition without a licence.
All charges are in connection with the death of Zya Juliet Shane Rittmann (25), whom he allegedly shot in the head on 21 January 2018. He pleaded not guilty to all charges.
According to the teenager, on that fateful morning, she went to a house near her parents’ to buy chips and when she returned, she saw Neuaka or Josy (as she kept referring to the accused) standing at a wall in front of her parents’ house.
Neuaka then walked towards the car he came with and brought a red bag or file, which he threw to the wall in front of her sister, who at that stage was leaning against the wall, the girl said.
The next moment, the girl continued, Neuaka reached into his waist and pulled out a gun, pressing it against the forehead of the deceased. “Not long after that, maybe four or five seconds, the deceased fell and was bleeding,” she added.
The young girl further informed the court that she ran behind the house, while her mother queried about the gunshot, but she did not answer. Her mother then ran to where the deceased was lying and shook her, trying to wake her up, but to no avail.
On a question from the prosecution as to what the positions of the deceased and the accused were, she said they were facing each other and everything happened “very fast.” She further said that contrary to what Neuaka is claiming, she never saw the deceased lift her hands from her side.
During his bail application, Neuaka told the court the victim was shot accidentally when she grabbed his arm that was holding the firearm. The youngster further said while she was running from where the incident happened, she kept on screaming: ‘I saw, I saw; he shot her’.
The matter will continue on 10 August and Neuaka will remain in custody. He is represented by Mbanga Siyomunji on private instructions and the State by Ethel Ndlovu.
– rrouth@nepc.com.na