Zorena Jantze
WENTZEL Maasdorp, the 40-year-old Namibian man accused of murdering his girlfriend, Delia Weimers-Maasdorp (40), in April 2024, said that he had blacked out and went into a trance when the incident happened and that it was not his intention to harm the deceased.
Maasdorp is facing one count of murder as well as charges of theft and housebreaking after murdering Delia Weimers-Maasdorp, an employee of the Namibian University of Science and Technology (NUST), in her Klein Windhoek flat on 25 April 2024, and thereafter allegedly stealing her mobile phone, television, and car. The two share the same surname as the deceased had previously been married to Maasdorp’s cousin.
The accused, who appeared for a formal bail application on 8 January 2025 in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Monica Andjaba, was represented by lawyer Samuel Shinedima, while the State was represented by Prosecutor Eric Naikaku.
Naikaku argued that the State objected to bail due to the fact that the accused is charged with serious offences, including murder read with provisions of the Domestic Violence Act. He added that the State has a strong case against the applicant, which could result in a lengthy jail term—a factor that could motivate the accused to abscond if he is released. In addition, the prosecutor said that the State fears the accused would reoffend if released on bail and that it would not be in the interest of the administration of justice to release him on bail.
Maasdorp, who testified as a witness in his bail application, claimed that the deceased had a problem with alcoholism and that is what led to the altercation. On the fateful day, he said he had arrived home from work around 19:00 and found the deceased consuming alcohol. He confronted her about her drinking, which led to an argument. He added that the deceased slapped him and threw the contents of her cup (vodka) into his face. Maasdorp further testified that violence ensued after this, but no weapons were involved, and that he had blacked out. When he came out of the trance, he found the deceased unconscious but did not check her pulse.
It was further revealed that Maasdorp had driven to Mariental shortly after committing the offence and returned to Windhoek the same evening. “I got in the car and drove off because nothing like this has ever happened to me. When I came back to the flat, I had hoped to find her alive, and that it was a dream, but she was not alive,” Maasdorp testified.
The above version of events that Maasdorp blacked out was however, contradicted by a confession Maasdorp made to a magistrate at the Katutura Magistrate’s Court on 3 May 2024. The confession was handed in as evidence to the court record despite protests from Maasdorp.
“Me and the deceased, Ms Delia Maasdorp, started dating in August 2023. We were friends and knew each other for some time because she was married to my cousin. We had a good relationship because, when we started dating, I was sober for nine months. I had a problem with drugs, and she had an issue with alcohol. We tried to support each other with our addiction issues… After our one-year anniversary, we had a fallout, and that was when I started using drugs (crack cocaine) again. Later on, we split up—I think in February—but we got back together in March 2024. As time passed, we grew apart and remained good friends. On the night of the incident, I went over to her place to talk about personal issues, and that is when I asked her about someone I suspected her of having an affair with—actually, a close friend of ours. It erupted into a fight, and she slapped me a few times. That was when I lost my cool and started strangling her. It was never my intention to cause her any harm, but when I came to my senses, it was too late,” the State prosecutor, Naikaku, narrated as he read the confession.
The prosecutor added that after fleeing to Mariental, the accused returned to Windhoek, wrapped the deceased in a blanket, sold the deceased’s television and mobile phone, and thereafter drove to Katima Mulilo. The accused is said to have left the car in Rundu before returning to Windhoek, where he was arrested in the Southern Industrial Area on 30 April 2024.
