WINDHOEK – The man who caused terror in the Windhoek central business district (CBD) when he fatally shot his former boss and wounded the woman who did his appraisal, causing him to lose a well-paid job at Global Fund, made his first court appearance yesterday in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court.
Simataa Simasiku, 33, handed himself over to the police at Wanaheda Police Station shortly after the shooting of his boss Sara Mwilima and Ester Amupolo at the offices of Global Fund on the second floor of the City Centre Building in the CBD.
Mwilima did not survive the attack and was declared dead on the scene while Amupolo, who was shot in the neck, was taken to the Roman Catholic Hospital where she was stabilised before being transferred to Lady Pohamba Hospital.
Simasiku appeared calm when he was brought to court under heavy police guard. The court was packed to the rafters with family and friends of the women he shot, and they started weeping uncontrollably when Simasiku took the stand. He was not asked to plead after being formally informed of the charges against him – murder and attempted murder – by Magistrate Vanessa Stanley and indicated to the court that he will try and secure funding for a private lawyer, but should he not succeed, he will apply for legal aid.
Public Prosecutor Sylvia Kauluma informed Stanley that the state is opposing bail due to the severity of the crime and the huge public interest in the matter.
The magistrate also informed Simasiku that he has the right to bring a formal bail application before his next court date, which was set as March 1, to give him time to arrange legal representation.
Messages of indignation and despair have been circulating on social media ever since New Era first broke the story. Many people blame the incident on lax gun control.