Iuze Mukube

A 50-year-old man convicted of murdering his ex-girlfriend, allegedly for fear that she would testify against him in a rape case, told the court that alcohol and anger led him to kill his former girlfriend and the mother of his children.

Arnold Khamseb was testifying for mitigation in a pre-sentencing proceeding yesterday before Windhoek High Court Judge Claudia Claasen.

“I was very angry,” described the Khorixas resident after being prompted to respond on the reason as to what led to the death of his then ex-domestic partner, Sylvia Tatamigu Gorases (46) in 2019.

He stated that accusations of sleeping around, starting from his side, where he told the accused to ask for money from the person she was sleeping with, to the deceased, also accusing him of sleeping around with small girls, led to a fight between the two.

The fight escalated, resulting in a stab wound to the neck of the deceased, and the accused told the court that “I feel very bad and that I should also just die.”

The convict explained that his presence was requested by the deceased at her residence to discuss the maintenance of their minor children.

He found her washing dishes, and the conflict began when he told her to ask the person she was apparently sleeping with for the money she had requested.

Khamseb denied that the fight resulted from feelings of jealousy, telling the court that it was pure anger from feeling sad and unhappy after the deceased accused him of sleeping around.

He explained that it was not jealousy because, by that time, they were no longer a couple.

“By then, I was very angry because of the discussions that we had, and I injured her, which led to her death, which I also cannot believe.”

He also stated he injured her with her own knife.

In addition to the murder conviction, Khamseb was also found guilty of housebreaking and raping his daughter on 7 July 2018. He was on bail for the rape case when he killed Gorases.

The court, however, acquitted him on the charge of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm for assaulting Josipedi Goraseb by cutting him with a knife as he tried protecting the deceased. Goraseb is the brother of the deceased.

On the rape charge, Khamseb said he committed the offence while under the influence of alcohol.

“I was drunk that night,” he told the judge.

He explained the incident was never planned, and that at the time, he had just entered the room to speak with the complainant’s friend, who was staying overnight.

Khamseb added that he did not know it was the complainant and that he did not want to rape her.

He expressed remorse for causing the death of the deceased and for raping the complainant.

He also appealed to the court to be lenient in his sentences and for them to be ordered to run concurrently because he has a blind mother and two minor children who need his care and attention.

The matter was postponed to tomorrow for the continuation of pre-sentencing proceedings.

Petrus Grusshaber represents Khamseb, while Palmer Khumalo represents the State.

-mukubeiuze@gmail.com

Photo: Heather Erdmann