Pregnant woman charged with sister’s murder

By: Ketemba Tjipepa

A 34-year-old pregnant woman allegedly killed her older sister a week ago following a minor argument over cooking oil and matches at Hadino Hishongwa D at Goreangab informal settlement.

It is alleged that after killing her sister, the woman dragged the victim’s naked body outside and dumped it among rubbish behind their makeshift shower, which is about 100 meters away.

The victim is identified as 41-year-old Tegeleleni Lesheni Iita. It is suspected that Thomas, who is eight months pregnant, strangled Tegeleleni while she was asleep. Thomas appeared in the Katutura Magistrate’s court on Monday and was refused bail. Her case was postponed to 21 November.

According to relatives, the late Tegeleleni traveled from Otjiwarongo two weeks ago to take care of Thomas because she was not talking to anyone at home. The family further stated that Thomas also refused to eat, which resulted in health professionals diagnosing her with malnutrition. Leena Iita, the sister-in-law of the two siblings who narrated the incident to NewsonOne, stated that the two women were involved in an argument on Thursday evening which involved Thomas hiding cooking oil and matches. According to Iita, this did not sit well with Tegeleni, who had to prepare dinner.

Iita said she ended the argument between the two women, and they went to bed. But only to find out that Tegeleleni had passed away. “While leaving home to go to work in the morning, a child came running after me saying a security guard informed them that there was a body lying at the toilet, and when the child checked it was Mee Lesheni. When I saw the body, I froze because it was covered with clothes, her luggage placed next to her and her hands sticking in the ground. She was not moving,” stated Iita.

She added that Thomas had locked herself inside the shack and was not responding when people were talking to her. “We called the police and when they arrived I asked them to break down the door, but they told us to wait for the investigator”.

Iita added that the family wants Thomas, who is a mother of two, to go under mental evaluation to establish what triggered her to kill her sister Tegeleleni, who was survived by two children, will be laid to rest on Saturday at Uukuvu village at Okahao in the Omusati region.

Namibian Police spokesperson Inspector Raimbert Muronga confirmed the incident, stating that the deceased died from suffocation. Muronga added that multiple bruises were also observed on Tegeleleni’s body.