WALVIS BAY - Murder suspect Nicolaus Kazana Mangundu Hausiku, who is accused of murdering former rugby player and member of the Namibian Defence Force, Hendrik Petrus Coetzee on Saturday afternoon, was denied bail in Karibib yesterday.

Hausiku made his first court appearance on a charge of murder, just a day after he appeared on an unrelated charge of drug possession in the Rundu Magistrate’s court on Tuesday for which he was denied bail too. Maria was later rescued by an oncoming vehicle whose occupants alerted the police of the brutal murder.

Hausiku was arrested on Monday at a Rundu bus stop where he was about to board a bus to his village. He made a brief appearance in the Rundu court for a previous case of alleged possession of cannabis before hoping onto a police vehicle for his transfer to Karibib where he had to appear for the murder charge, as it was committed in that jurisdiction.
Hausiku, who only started working for the couple in October this year, is also charged with two counts of theft, kidnapping, driving without a licence and reckless driving.

According to Nampol, Hausiku on the fateful Saturday allegedly entered the kitchen of the farmhouse and demanded a firearm from Maria, Coetzee’s wife.

He was allegedly told that they did not have one but went ahead and start searching for it in the house.
He then allegedly took an axe from the kitchen and walked to the kraal where the deceased was milking goats and hacked Coetzee with the axe on the head.

Shortly afterwards, he stole household items, took the couple’s vehicle and kidnapped the deceased’s terrified wife, Maria, whom he allegedly threatened to kill also.

Hausiku allegedly overturned the car about 35 kilometres from Otjimbingwe and fled on foot, leaving Maria at the car wreckage.

Maria was later rescued by an oncoming vehicle whose occupants alerted the police of the brutal murder.
His case was postponed to 17 January for further police investigation and to apply for legal representation.