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Witness in murder case accused of fabricating testimony 

2020-10-30  Roland Routh

Witness in murder case accused of fabricating testimony 

The brother of a long-distance bus driver, accused of murdering his former girlfriend after she dumped him via SMS, this week testified in his defence. 
Joseph Elia told Windhoek High Court Judge Eileen Rakow that on the day the murder allegedly took place, he and the accused drove to Otjiwarongo for the vehicle operated by Victor Elia to undergo a roadworthy test at NaTIS. According to him, after the test failed, they went to have the faults fixed and Victor received a phone call from someone in Windhoek informing him that his girlfriend was found dead.
They then immediately returned to Windhoek, the witness testified, adding upon their arrival, he left Victor at their sister’s house. He was later called to report to the police. During cross-examination, Solomon Kanyemba for the prosecution accused the witness of making up stories in an attempt to distance his brother from the murder. According to Kanyemba, there is no evidence that he and Victor went to Otjiwarongo and visited NaTIS.

The witness, however, stuck to his version.
According to Kanyemba, cell phone printouts of Victor shows he was still in Windhoek until 23h00 on 17 January 2017 contrary to the testimony of the witness that he and Victor left for Otjiwarongo at 17h00 on that day.
He further put it to the witness that the whole story of the trip to Otjiwarongo was a fabrication concocted by him and the accused to thwart the case against the deceased.

Victor is accused of killing Iyaloo Ndapandula Hainghumbi (25), whose body was discovered in a bushy area along the Western Bypass on 17 January 2017.
He denied all allegations against him at the start of the trial and put the onus on the State to prove each and every allegation. According to the indictment, Victor, who was a long-distance bus driver at the time, received a text message from the deceased on the morning of 16 January 2017 from the victim’s cell number informing him that she has a new boyfriend.

At that stage, the victim and the accused had been in an intimate or romantic relationship for some time, the indictment read. This message was sent to Victor after the deceased spent the preceding weekend with the new boyfriend who came to visit her from the coast, it is stated.
It is further stated the accused then met up with the deceased during the period 16-17 January in Windhoek and killed her by kicking or beating her all over her body and head with unknown objects. 

According to the indictment, the accused robbed her of a cell phone, a SIM card, handbag, jacket and pair of shoes.
He allegedly dumped the body in the busy area to frustrate the investigation into the disappearance of the victim. Victor remains in custody at the Windhoek Correctional Facility’s section for trial awaiting inmates. 


2020-10-30  Roland Routh

Tags: Khomas
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