Windhoek High Court Acting Judge Herman January on Tuesday sentenced convicted murderer Henock Negodhi (46) to an effective 23 years behind bars.
The judge sentenced Negodhi to 28 years but conditionally suspended five years of the sentence for five years. He said the three-and-a-half years Negodhi spent in pre-trial incarceration was of no fault of his and he must be given the benefit.
Judge January said Negodhi was convicted of a very serious crime and must be removed from society for a lengthy period, but the sentence should not be so severe that it would break him.
While the judge acknowledged that the crime was one of the worst manifestations of gender-based violence, which has become a cancer in society, he said as a first offender at the age of 46, his genuine contrition and his plea for a lenient sentence so that he can still come out of prison and look after his children and and those of the woman he stabbed to death’s children, deserves recognition.
Judge January said he considered the psychological scars the children of the deceased must have endured by seeing their mother butchered in front of them and that he feels for them. “Violence can never be the solution for interpersonal issues,” the judge stressed and said the reason for the death of the deceased was still a mystery, but jealousy is a possible motive.
However, the judge remarked, in the words of his sister, Judge Claasen, men do not possess the bodies of their romantic partners to kill as they please. This, he said, was the result of uncontrollable rage. Negodhi was convicted of killing Ndapandula Ndinelago Imene in full view of the minor children of the deceased by stabbing her at least 16 times with a knife on Christmas Day in 2021. They had to testify in open court and had to recount the horrible ordeal.
Judge January convicted Negodhi of murder read with the provisions of the Combating of Domestic Violence Act.
During mitigation of sentence, Negodhi told the judge that he has severe remorse over his actions and that the incident weighs heavily on his heart.
He asked for forgiveness from the court, society, and the family of the deceased. He further told the court that while in custody, he sent his uncle to the family of the deceased with a cow and N$1 000 as a sign of contrition. The accused was represented during the pre-sentencing stage by Legal Aid lawyer Tuna Nhinda and the State by Advocate Anna Amukugo.