WINDHOEK - A taxi driver who allegedly killed his former girlfriend after she dumped him via SMS was informed on Monday his trial is set to start before another judge.
The murder, robbery and defeating or obstructing or attempting to defeat or obstruct the course of justice trial of Victor Elia, 38, was supposed to start on Monday before Windhoek High Court Acting Judge Orben Sibeya, but was instead moved to the roll of Acting Judge Eileen Rakow and is set to start today.
Elia is accused of killing Iyaloo Ndapandula Hainghumbi, whose body was discovered in a bushy area along the western bypass road in January 2017.
According to the indictment, Elia, a long distance bus driver, received a text message from the deceased on the morning of January 17, 2017 from the deceased’s cell number informing him that she has a new boyfriend. At that stage, the deceased and Elia had been in an intimate or romantic relationship for some time, the indictment read. This message was sent to Elia after the deceased spent the weekend of January 13 to 15, 2017 with the new boyfriend who came to visit her from the coast, it is stated. It is further stated Elia then met up with the deceased during the period January 16 and/or 17, 2017 in Windhoek and killed her by kicking and/or beating her over her body and head with unknown objects, where-after he robbed her of her of cellular phone, a SIM card, a handbag, a jacket and a pair of shoes and then dumped her body in a bushy area to frustrate the investigation into the disappearance of the deceased. It is further alleged Elia then cleaned his vehicle, removed blood belonging to the deceased from the vehicle and set alight the belongings of the deceased as well as a headrest from the vehicle with the aim to defeat or obstruct the course of justice.
Family members who are always present during court proceedings say that Hainghumbi had made up her mind about the relationship, as it had reached the end of the road, which Elia refused to accept.
According to State witnesses who testified during Elia’s failed bail hearing in 2017, Hainghumbi on that fateful day met up with friends in town but later had to leave to allegedly meet up with someone else, and it is alleged that person is Elia. It is further alleged that even though Hainghumbi had made up her mind about ending the relationship, Elia had convinced her that it would be for the best of both of them if they were to discuss the matter face to face. The investigator dealing with the case testified that Elia and Hainghumbi had used the same Hakahana service network tower the night before she disappeared, which is in the vicinity of where Elia resided. Furthermore, that the blood found in Elia’s bus matched that of Hainghumbi. Despite being the last person to have seen Hainghumbi alive, Elia has maintained that he is innocent and only met up with Hainghumbi on January 13, 2017 at Hakahana service station to hand her money that she had requested from him earlier. He further explained that the blood spatters found in his bus were from meat he was transporting for his customers. Elia had explained that while in custody, he found out that Hainghumbi had double-crossed him as she was seeing someone else who resided in Swakopmund while they were still together.
He remains in custody and is represented by Mbanga Siyomunji on instructions of Legal Aid and the State by Solomon Kanyemba.