WINDHOEK – Lawyer Moudi Hangula who late last year withdrew as the Legal Aid appointed defence counsel for murder accused, Richard Hange, has agreed to continue to defend him.
This came after Judge Alfred Siboleka summoned her to explain her withdrawal, which was ostensibly due to a lack of funds, while money was available for her services. Hangula told Judge Siboleka that she was erroneously informed by a clerk at the Department of Legal Aid that there was no money to pay for her services during the trial. However, last week Monday Advocate Jack Eixab informed the court that he was told by legal aid that there were enough funds available to pay Hangula for her services. Judge Siboleka has now directed that Hange’s trial be referred back to the pre-trial stage before Judge President Petrus Damaseb for allocation of a new judge and trial dates. Judge Siboleka said in November last year already that he only had the first two weeks in January to hear the case in 2014. For this reason he said it would be preferable to refer the case back to the Judge President on January 23 to assign it a new judge and new trial dates. Hangula must in the meantime sort out her issues with Legal Aid, the judge said and be at the pre-trial hearing to inform the Judge President of her status in the trial. She did however indicate to Judge Siboleka that she is agreeable to defend Hange pending on Legal Aid. Hangula has recently moved from Kwaala Legal Practitioners and joined Shikongo Law Chambers and this must also be sorted out. Hange who has been in custody since his arrest in September 2011 when he was only 24 years old is charged with the murder of his live-in girlfriend Lisa Kandovazu on September 27, 2011.
It is alleged in the indictment that Hange and the deceased were in a domestic relationship and had a child together. According to the summary of substantial facts an argument erupted between Hange and Kandovazu at the latter’s residence in the informal settlement of Havana near Wanaheda in Windhoek. It is alleged that Hange hit the deceased with an unknown blunt object(s) on her head, tried to strangle her and/or stabbed her at least twice with a knife. Kandovazu died on the scene due to blood loss caused by one of the stab wounds, while the injuries caused by the blunt force also contributed to the deceased’s demise.
By Roland Routh