WINDHOEK - A former Global Fund employee accused of killing his supervisor and wounding an ex-colleague made a first pre-trial appearance in the Windhoek High Court before Judge Christi Liebenberg yesterday.
Simataa Merlvin Simasiku, 34, informed Judge Liebenberg that he is still waiting to be allocated the services of a Legal Aid counsel to represent him during his trial.
While Simasiku told the Judge, he applied and still waiting for a response from Legal Aid, a representative of Legal Aid informed Judge Liebenberg their records show they did not receive an application from Simasiku.
The judge then instructed Simasiku to apply again while in the presence of the Legal Aid representative.
His matter was then remanded to September 19 for Legal Aid.
On January 28 this year, Simasiku walked into the offices of Global Fund at the City Centre and fired five shots, one of which killed his boss, Sarah Lungowe Mwilima, and another seriously wounding Ester Ndahekelekwa Nepolo, a colleague of his.
During a subsequent bail application, Simasiku said he acted in self-defense when he fired the shots, but stopped short of explaining, only saying: “The truth will be revealed during the trial.”
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.
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 Simasiku had no justifiable reasons to discharge his firearm in public.
Defense attorney, Henry Shimutwikeni, represented Simasiku during his bail hearing and Advocate Antonia Verhoef represented the State during the pre-trial hearing.
Simasiku remains in custody after Magistrate Vanessa Stanley refused his bail application.