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The trial of a former Global Fund employee accused of murdering his supervisor and wounding a colleague will be presided over by Windhoek High Court Judge Christie Liebenberg, it was announced last week.
The matter was handled in the absence of Simataa Simasiku (34) as the section for trial-awaiting inmates at the Windhoek Correctional facility where he is housed is still under lockdown because of a suspected case of Covid-19.
The results of a court ordered psychiatric evaluation by a private psychiatrist was also handed in by the State and the result of the evaluation by a State psychiatrist is expected to be handed in today.
The matter will return to court this Wednesday for the judge and the lawyers to determine trial dates and possibly determine the admissibility or not of the reports. Simasiku is charged with one count of murder and one count of attempted murder alternatively negligent discharge of a firearm and discharging of a firearm in public.
The charges emanate from a shooting incident on January 28 last year, when Simasiku walked into the offices of Global Fund at the City Centre and fired off five shots, one of which killed his boss, Sarah Lungowe Mwilima and another seriously wounding Ester Ndahekelekwa Nepolo, his now former colleague.
During a subsequent bail application, Simasiku said that he acted in self-defence when he fired the shots, but stopped short of explaining, only saying: “The truth will be revealed during the trial.”
According to the summary of substantial facts in the indictment, the accused went to his workplace on the second floor of the City Centre Building armed with a pistol and seven live rounds.
Thereafter, he went to the eighth floor where Mwilima and Nepolo had their offices and once there fired at least three to four shots at Mwilima that struck her in the chest, neck and arm causing her to die on the scene due to the injuries sustained from the gunshots, it is stated.
He then fired one shot at Nepolo, which struck her in the neck and he then left the scene, collected his child at daycare and took the child to his residence, the indictment further reads.
It is further stated that Simasiku then drove to a police station where he reported the shooting and handed his firearm, holster, two bullets and his firearm licence to the police.
The State is further saying that Simasiku had no justifiable reasons to discharge his firearm in public.
He remains in custody after his bail application was refused.
He will be represented by Vernon Lutibezi on instructions of Legal Aid and the State by deputy prosecutor general Antonia Verhoef.
– rrouth@nepc.com.na
Roland Routh
2020-09-21 10:02:26 | 1 months ago
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