WINDHOEK – The teenage daughter of the victim in a stabbing murder collapsed yesterday at the start of the trial of the man accused of murdering her mother.
The young woman collapsed just minutes before she was supposed to take the stand and testify against 47-year-old Fanie Basson, who she had always called ‘father’. Basson has pleaded not guilty to the murder of his common-law wife, Johanna Basson, the teenager’s mother.
The teenager was overwhelmed with emotion and collapsed on the floor, causing Judge Alfred Siboleka to call for a short adjournment to get her some help. An ambulance was summoned and the case was postponed to April 22 for continuation of trial.
This was not the first time Basson’s trial met with hiccups. It was supposed to start in June last year already before Acting Judge Nicolaas Ndou from Zimbabwe, but had to be postponed several times due to the unavailability of Judge Ndou until finally the Judge President relocated it to Judge Siboleka.
Basson who will be represented by Titus Mbaeva on instructions of the Department of Legal Aid is accused of killing his common-law wife Johanna at Donkerhoek Location near Khorixas on September 26 2009. He was granted bail in the amount of N$500 after a successful bail application.
The summary of substantial facts in the indictment states that Basson and the deceased were in a domestic relationship. It is alleged that during the evening of September 26, 2009 a quarrel broke out between the two of them and that the accused then attacked the deceased and hit her all over her body, whereafter he stabbed her at least five times with a knife all over her body and neck. Basson then allegedly left the scene where his wife succumbed to a stab wound to her neck.
After Basson entered his plea, defence counsel Mbaeva informed the judge that the plea was in accordance with his instructions and that his client’s defence was that he was not at the scene of the crime.
Prosecutor for the State Jack Eichab handed in the postmortem report which was not objected to by Basson.
The bail of Basson was extended to his next court appearance.
By Roland Routh