A new lawyer has been appointed for a man convicted and sentenced to 30 years imprisonment for murdering his ex-girlfriend over the paternity of their son. 

The Directorate of Legal Aid appointed Mathew Nyathi to represent Mateus Sakeus (38) in his bid to be granted leave by the High Court so that he may appeal his conviction and sentence in the Supreme Court.

Sakeus believes that another court, if presented with the same facts, would arrive at a different conclusion. 

He was convicted and subsequently sentenced to 30 years imprisonment by judge Herman January in August 2020 in the Oshakati High Court. 

January convicted Sakeus on a charge of murder, read with the provisions of the Combating of Domestic Violence Act, for stabbing and killing his former girlfriend Annalise Tuunane Ndakongele (34) on 4 March 2015. 

Ndakongele was stabbed 28 times with a knife. The incident took place at Oluteyi, a village in the Outapi district of the Omusati region.

Sakeus and Ndakongele shared a son. During the trial, Sakeus admitted to having inflicted multiple stab wounds on Ndakongele out of anger, and that he was under the influence of alcohol at the time. 

He further indicated that he became angry after Ndakongele informed him during an argument that the child they shared was not his son. 

He claimed he became emotional during the argument, and started to hit Ndakongele.

He then picked up a knife from a table, and started stabbing her. He said once he started stabbing Ndakongele, he could not bring himself to stop.

Judge January postponed the case to 18 March for an appeal hearing, and to allow Nyathi to familiarise himself with the gist of the matter. 

Sakeus remains in custody.

- mamakali@nepc.com.na