Maria Amakali
Windhoek-The 33-year-old man who stands accused of killing his two children in 2009 has denied ever committing the crime. Jonas Penovanhu Shinana entered the witness box for the first time in the Windhoek High Court yesterday since the start of his trial, to answer to the events that led to the death of his two children on the fateful date in question.
Shinana, a former security guard based in Windhoek, told the court that he had no idea what had happened to his two children as, according to him, he was asleep at the time he is alleged to have committed the crime. The charges are that Shinana slew his two biological children, the 6-year-old Matheus Shinana and 4-year-old Emilia Naatye Shinana, by slitting their throats with a knife on the night of between December 23 and 24 in 2009 at their home in Wanaheda, Windhoek. Having killed his children, Shinana then tried to commit suicide by hanging himself with a rope, an attempt which failed. Based on the testimonies of the witnesses who took the stand, the children had just relocated from the north to Windhoek for primary education.
During his testimony Shinana recalled allegedly waking up in the middle of the night after being strangled in his sleep. The accused said that all he could recall was that everyone in the house was asleep but he had no idea what led to the death of his children.
However, the investigative officer dealing with the case, Detective Sergeant Moses Shivolo, said his version of the events does not correlate to the information he gave in his statement obtained on the date of his arrest.
According to Shivolo, Shinana admitted to having murdered the children. Shivolo further stated that Shinana had explained that he killed his two children because they were suffering and he ‘had so much on his mind’. The investigative officer added that Shinana did not give details of what he meant that his kids were suffering. It is suspected that the double killing was a result of difficulties experienced in the relationship between Shinana and the mother of the two children.
Shinana is facing charges of two counts of murder, which are both read with provisions of the Combating of Domestic Violence Act (Act Four) of 2003. Shinana was represented by defence counsel Bradley Basson with Palmer Khumalo prosecuting.