Iuze Mukube

A former security guard, accused of shooting his colleague in the head with a gun at point-blank range while transporting cash in a cash-in-transit vehicle, has rejected his mental evaluation report.

Theodor Shipanga (45) told Windhoek High Court Deputy Judge President Hosea Angula yesterday, after the psychiatric report was made available to him, that he rejects anything related to the report.

Without even opening the file or reading the report, he firmly declared, “anything related to the report, I reject”.

He based this on the fact that it violated his fundamental human rights, claiming it was done without his permission.

The accused stated that the judge had allegedly ordered police officers to beat him while at the holding cells, pointing to his bandaged arm.

Shipanga further complained that his rights are being violated, stating that he is in custody for charges that do not exist.

This, he said, was because Angula had withdrawn his case from the roll, and it could not even be found at the Namibian police.

Shipanga had also objected to the judge’s decision to enter a plea of not guilty on his behalf in a previous court session.

At the time, he said the plea was entered without his permission and while his psychiatric report was not yet before the court.

The matter was postponed to 30 October 2025 to allow the State and Shipanga to indicate whether they intend to dispute the report.

On the charges, the State is alleging that Shipanga murdered a fellow employee of a security company, Shain van Wyk (22), between Otjiwarongo and Okahandja on 11 November 2011 by shooting him in the head with a shotgun.

Van Wyk was killed while he and Shipanga were returning to Windhoek with money they had collected at banks in northern Namibia and Otjiwarongo.

His body was left in a culvert under the B1 road between Otjiwarongo and Okahandja.

The State is alleging that Shipanga robbed Van Wyk by stealing an amount of at least N$2.5 million and the cash-in-transit vehicle in which they were travelling.

Shipanga is alleged to have returned to Windhoek with the vehicle, which was left in the city’s Ombili area.

It is furtehr alleged that Shipanga removed money from the vehicle, set it on fire and left his security company uniform at the scene where the vehicle was abandoned.

About N$1.2 million, which was part of the money stolen from the cash-in-transit vehicle, was found hidden at the home of Shipanga’s siblings in Windhoek’s Havana informal settlement on 13 November 2011.

During the early hours of 12 November 2011, Shipanga reported to the police that he was robbed by two unknown men, who dropped him in the Brakwater area of Windhoek.

They allegedly drove away with the pickup containing all the cash.

-mukubeiuze@gmail.com