Niël Terblanché
THE 29-year-old Victoria Shikongo, who stands accused of killing her newborn baby by slitting his throat in a toilet about two weeks ago, was remanded in custody during a swift appearance in the Walvis Bay Magistrate’s Court.
Shikongo was admitted to hospital shortly after her arrest and has been under police guard since 20 February. During her appearance the court was informed that the accused person is still very weak and the proceedings were kept brief.
During her appearance Shikongo was formally informed that she faces a charge of murder with an alternative charge of concealment of birth. Up until her arrest the accused person was employed at a business situated in the Dunes Mall.
According to the charge sheet Shikongo gave birth to a carried-to-term baby boy in an outside toilet at the group of backyard shacks where she resided in Malgas Street in the Tutaleni residential area of Walvis Bay. After giving birth the accused person used a sharp object to cut the new born child’s throat before wrapping him in a plastic bag and hiding the lifeless body under her bed.
According to the incident report provided by the Namibian Police in the Erongo Region, the owner of the house discovered a large amount of fresh blood in the outside toilet which led him to alert the Police. The young woman was arrested after the dead baby was discovered under her bed and was taken to the Walvis Bay State Hospital where she remained under police guard until her first appearance on the charge of murder on Tuesday.
Magistrate John Sindano remanded Shikongo in custody and postponed the matter to 6 April this year in order for the Namibian Police to finalise the investigation and to allow the accused person to apply for legal aid from the state.
