RUNDU - Egidius Kayangula, whose lifeless body was discovered about a week ago with missing body parts, was laid to rest at the weekend. His body was found on the Angolan side of the banks of the Kavango River. 

Kayangula’s family last week maintained he was killed for his body parts and placed in the river to make it look like he drowned. The family also suspect Kayangula’s friend, who picked him up from home, may have played a role in his murder. The family furthermore took issue with the police, saying they are idle on the matter since the incident is suspected to have occurred on the Angolan side of the river. 

“The friend knows what happened, but
the police didn’t even take him in for questioning, despite us reporting the incident,” said Kayangula’s brother Olavi Paulus. “They are saying they will hand over the case to the police on the Angolan side, but we are sure they killed him here and just threw his body on the banks of the other side.” 

The family is demanding that the police trace calls and texts on the victim’s friend’s phone during the period of the incident to see who he was communicating with and about what, as they suspect he was involved in the alleged killing. “If police aren’t taking action, we will take another option. 

The post-mortem that the police gave us indicates that his heart and tongue were removed, and so were his eyes. It shows he was tied with ropes,” Paulus explained. 

His testicles were allegedly also removed, his nipple cut off, and  he had cuts on his arm and neck. “When we went back to the police, they told us they can’t do anything because he died on the other side. As a family, we are convinced the friend took my brother across the river to tie him up while his friends moved my brother’s girlfriend from the banks of the river to a nearby bar. They came back to do their business, and later went back to lie to her,” Paulus added. 

Deputy Commissioner Andreas Shilelo of the Namibian police in Kavango East was quoted last week as saying they do not have any jurisdiction to conduct an investigation or make arrests because everything happened in Angola. “I contacted our Angolan counterparts, and told them about the incident. They confirmed to having knowledge of the incident, but we agreed we should finish the paperwork here and then make some copies to hand over to their side because the case happened in Angola,” said Shilelo, who also suspects that the deceased’s body parts were harvested for muti. 

The whiskey that never came

According to Ester Sindimba, the late Egidius Kayangula’s girlfriend, they were picked up by his friend identified as ‘Sikongo’ on a Saturday morning. However, the late Kayangula told him he was not ready to leave the house as he didn’t bath nor had breakfast, but Sikongo insisted that they leave together. “We first went to his place and picked up his girlfriend, and then went to a few places around town before we drove out of town to Matende village in Kavango West, where the driver went to collect two bags of marijuana from a source who came from across the river,” Sindimba narrated. 

“From there, we went back to town and had lunch at the open market after they insisted we go and hang out at the river to cool off. They bought alcohol, and then we went and spent the whole afternoon at the river.” According to her, when they got there, they met some other people who are friends of Sikongo and his girlfriend. 

“Sikongo decided that they needed to get more alcohol, and sent someone from across the river to bring him some whiskey that is sold there. He paid him to bring some across, but then that person was taking too long and it got dark and was getting late,” she said. 

“We moved some metres away from the river, and were waiting at the cars. Sikongo told my boyfriend that they should go to the banks of the river as maybe the whiskey guy was near, and they left. But we could not see what was really happening there. 

They then came back to the car, and when we were about to leave, Sikongo said he got a message that the guy from Angola who went to buy the whiskey was at the banks of the river.” Sikongo allegedly asked the deceased to cross the river and accompany him to fetch the whiskey, whereupon they disappeared.

 “That was the last time I saw my boyfriend. After some minutes, we only saw some lights across the river, which later went off. Sikongo’s friends decided we should leave, maybe it was the Angolan police and that maybe they had arrested the two,” she said.  “We came to a bar in Sauyemwa, and they left me and others there and went back, saying they are going to see if they have been released. After a while, they came back with Sikongo, but my boyfriend was not with them.” She continued that Sikongo immediately asked her about her boyfriend when he disembarked from the car. 

“I asked how he could ask me while he was the one who was last with him. He said he thought he had arrived as they were caught by the police on the other side, and he managed to escape when he asked to go and relieve himself”, she continued. Sikongo reportedly claimed to Sindimba that he bribed the Angolan police officer with whiskey before he was let go.

– jmuyamba@nepc.com.na