Samuel Shinedima
HIGH Court Judge Naami Shivute has this morning, after the presentence hearing, reserved the sentencing in the case of the Otjimbingwe farm convicted murder, Kazana Nocolous Hausiku to 28 September 2022.
Hausiku was arrested in 2018 for allegedly killing his employer and owner of the farm, Hendrik (‘Henry’) Coetzee in the Karibib district by hitting him with an axe on the head, kidnapped his wife and driving away with the farm vehicle that he later on the day overturned. He had worked for them for 3 weeks.
In August this year, Judge Shivute had found Hausiku guilty for the charges of murder, rape, robbery with aggravating circumstances, kidnapping, driving a motor vehicle without a driving license and reckless driving.
In today’s hearing, the state witness Maria Coetzee, who is also the wife to the deceased testified that she took early retirement to assist her husband with running the farm and now he is no more, adding that it has been a tough experience for her and her family.
Coetzee told court that their children didn’t take the murder incident of their father lightly, and that it was very difficult at the beginning but they are starting to make peace with the fact that he is no more with them.
She further testified that the incident has left them in so much trauma and that she even decided to vacate their plot where the murder incident took place.
“I still get flashbacks on what happened and I have been trying to stay away from that place, in order to help myself forget. In fact, I am still under psychological care” she added.
Defense lawyer, Salomon Kanyemba, from the Salomon Kanyemba legal practitioners, during the cross-examination pointed out that he wishes to convey the message from his client that he is sorry for what happened. He further stated that the apology is not only tendered to the deceased wife and her family but to the entire Namibian society at large, adding that the crimes committed by Hausiku are indeed devastating.
“It was also established before this court that Hausiku was found with Marijuana and that he had consumed such substances on that day, which might have affected his thinking capacity. We can all agree that he was not himself” Kanyemba said.
However, Kanyemba submitted, from a humanity point of view, that his client had adopted the life he lived through life’s circumstances, which might have been aggravated by his background of extreme poverty, adding that his client should be given a second chance and be punished with leniency.
Kanyemba further added that his client’s parents are equally grieved by the loss of someone’s life and as a result of their son’s conducts.
“In 2018, my client was about 27 years old, who had to look for survival elsewhere but life turned out bitter for him. He is from a background of extreme poverty and his background should not be ignored as a possible factor of contribution to his misery.
I submit that he gets a second opportunity and be granted a chance to be a better man for himself, family and society at large” Kanyemba added
While closing off, Kanyemba suggested that the appropriate sentence would be, on the murder count, imprisonment of not more than 20 years, and not more than 15 years for rape.
He stated that he’s client should be given 5 years for robbery, 3 years for kidnapping, and 3 months for driving without a license. He further submitted that the sentence be ordered to run concurrently, as the offenses are attached to one commission of crime.
In response, State Prosecutor Esthel Ndlovu submitted that Hausiku is not a suitable candidate for court’s leniency on sentencing as he needs more time of rehabilitation before he is brought back into society. The state submitted that the Hausiku be sentenced to 30 years imprisonment on the count of murder, 15 years for rape, 12 years for robbery and 6 years for kidnapping.
The sentencing will be handed down on 28 September at 9:00.
