The wife and co-accused of a man on trial for the murder of a nine-year-old girl allegedly confessed to a State witness that he killed the deceased.
Esther Nkata, who at first said she is the mother of Edward Nkata, but then corrected herself and said he is her sister’s son, told Windhoek High Court judge Philanda Christiaan last week that when she visited Caroline Nkata in prison after her arrest, the
woman told her it was Edward who beat the child to death with a broomstick.
She further said when she visited Edward in hospital after he was involved in an accident after the police car he was transported in overturned, he also told her that he beat up the child.
The witness was testifying in the murder trial of the Nkatas and Rachel Kureva, the biological mother of the deceased. It is alleged by the State that the accused, who are Zimbabwean citizens, murdered Akundaishe Natalie Chipomho between 23 and 25 January 2020.
The post-mortem report stated that she died as a result of blunt impact head injuries.
The prosecution states that the accused also tried to kill Edward’s then 11-year-old son by hitting him with a belt and unknown objects all over his body between 20 and 22 January 2020, but he survived the ordeal.
However, between 23 and 25 January 2020, the Nkatas kicked and hit Chipomho with unknown objects on her body and head, leaving her unconscious, it is alleged. The couple then placed her in a plastic bucket and waited for her to die, it is further alleged.
She later died due to blunt impact head injuries. The Nkatas then went to a nearby service station and bought paraffin and matches, the State alleges.
They reportedly transported Chipomho’s remains in a wheely bin to a municipal skip, a stone’s throw from their flat, where they dumped the body before setting it alight.
The Nkatas were spotted dragging a wheelie bin in the eastern direction of Ooievaar Street in the Rhino Park area around 21h00, and a witness felt it was suspicious because it was at night. They were also recorded on a surveillance camera in the area.
After the incident, the couple took their minor children to flee, but were arrested between Okahandja and Otjiwarongo.
The prosecution further alleges that the Nkatas defrauded Progress Private School of N$6 000. It is alleged Caroline indicated to the school where she was employed as a teacher that Chipomho and an 11-year-old minor were her biological children.
Thus, the minor children were not required to pay school fees by virtue of her being an employee at the school.
The couple is furthermore accused of forging school reports for the children. They are also accused of overstaying in the country for seven months after their employment permits expired.
The accused pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, read together with the provisions of the Combating of Domestic Violence Act, defeating the course of justice, and violating a dead body. The Nkatas pleaded not guilty to additional charges of attempted murder, fraud, alternatively uttering a forged document, forgery as well as contravening the Immigration Control Act.
They, however, admitted that they contravened the Immigration Control Act by remaining in Namibia from 16 June 2019 to 26 January 2020 after the expiry of a two-year employment permit which permitted them to stay in Namibia from June 2017.
The matter continues, and the accused remain in custody. Caroline is represented by Milton Engelbrecht, Edward by Mbanga Siyomunji and Kureva by Joseph Andreas, all on instructions of Legal Aid. The State is represented by Ethel Ndlovu.