State presents CCTV footage in child-murder trial
Footage allegedly shows father disposing of daughter's body
Caroline Nkata has retracted a confession made shortly after her arrest and now denies participating in covering up the murder of her husband's young daughter.
New CCTV footage was presented in the Windhoek High Court on Tuesday in a trial in which three Zimbabwean nationals are implicated in the killing of a nine-year-old girl in January 2020.
The State is alleging that Rachel Kureva, the mother of the girl, Edward Nkata, the girl’s father, and his wife Caroline Nkata murdered nine-year-old Akundaishe Natalie Chipomho in Windhoek during the period of 23 to 25 January 2020.
The footage shows what appears to be Edward allegedly dragging Chipomho’s body in a green wheelie bin to a nearby skip, accompanied by Caroline.
State’s witness
Advocate Ethel Ndlovu presented another witness before Judge Philanda Christiaan this week, who claimed to have encountered the couple on the night of the murder. While returning from a Puma service station, the witness testified that he saw a woman standing in the dark outside the main gate of the couple's apartment complex, opposite the witness's house.
The witness stated that, while parking his grandfather's car, he saw the Nkata couple dragging a green bin heading towards February Upholstery up the street.
“I know these people. I have not seen them all at once, but I have seen accused 2 [Edward] and accused 3 [Rachel] together. She wears a nurse's uniform the few times I see her, and other times accused 1 puts her in a taxi,” testified the witness.
Caroline’s legal representative, Milton Engelbrecht, objected to the witness's testimony, pointing out discrepancies between his court testimony and the statement he gave to the police. Engelbrecht argued that the witness testified that Edward was dressed in all-black, whereas the CCTV footage showed Edward in different colours. Engelbrecht suggested these inconsistencies made the witness's account unreliable.
Confession retracted
"Akundaishe barged into the house crying; it seemed she was crying because her father had beaten her. I also noted that she had a swollen forehead." These were Caroline's words when she confessed to magistrate Alweendo Venatius two days after her arrest.
Caroline, who is now denying any participation in covering up the murder of Edward's daughter, confessed that her husband had threatened to assault her if she said anything about the night he beat his daughter with a broomstick.
"Upon reprimanding him, he lashed out at me. I stood back, but he later summoned me to bring him a glass of water, which he used to pour over Akundaishe, who was lying unconscious on the ground in our bedroom. I also noticed that she was foaming at the mouth. I insisted that we take her to the hospital, but he said I would be implicated in the matter and threatened to harm me if I did so. We left her in the garage, still breathing but unresponsive. She remained there overnight and was dead the next day."
According to Caroline, she again urged her husband to report the matter to the police, but he instead proposed a plan to discard the body. They allegedly went to the filling station to buy paraffin to burn her body, something Caroline said she tried to avoid but was constantly threatened by him when she refused to participate. "I did everything he asked me to do," she said during her confession.
Caroline also told the court that they walked to the skip, where Edward set Akundaishe's body alight. Following the incident, Caroline said she did not inform Akundaishe's mother, Rachel Kureva, about what happened, fearing that Edward would assault her.
The trial continues this week.
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The State is alleging that Rachel Kureva, the mother of the girl, Edward Nkata, the girl’s father, and his wife Caroline Nkata murdered nine-year-old Akundaishe Natalie Chipomho in Windhoek during the period of 23 to 25 January 2020.
The footage shows what appears to be Edward allegedly dragging Chipomho’s body in a green wheelie bin to a nearby skip, accompanied by Caroline.
State’s witness
Advocate Ethel Ndlovu presented another witness before Judge Philanda Christiaan this week, who claimed to have encountered the couple on the night of the murder. While returning from a Puma service station, the witness testified that he saw a woman standing in the dark outside the main gate of the couple's apartment complex, opposite the witness's house.
The witness stated that, while parking his grandfather's car, he saw the Nkata couple dragging a green bin heading towards February Upholstery up the street.
“I know these people. I have not seen them all at once, but I have seen accused 2 [Edward] and accused 3 [Rachel] together. She wears a nurse's uniform the few times I see her, and other times accused 1 puts her in a taxi,” testified the witness.
Caroline’s legal representative, Milton Engelbrecht, objected to the witness's testimony, pointing out discrepancies between his court testimony and the statement he gave to the police. Engelbrecht argued that the witness testified that Edward was dressed in all-black, whereas the CCTV footage showed Edward in different colours. Engelbrecht suggested these inconsistencies made the witness's account unreliable.
Confession retracted
"Akundaishe barged into the house crying; it seemed she was crying because her father had beaten her. I also noted that she had a swollen forehead." These were Caroline's words when she confessed to magistrate Alweendo Venatius two days after her arrest.
Caroline, who is now denying any participation in covering up the murder of Edward's daughter, confessed that her husband had threatened to assault her if she said anything about the night he beat his daughter with a broomstick.
"Upon reprimanding him, he lashed out at me. I stood back, but he later summoned me to bring him a glass of water, which he used to pour over Akundaishe, who was lying unconscious on the ground in our bedroom. I also noticed that she was foaming at the mouth. I insisted that we take her to the hospital, but he said I would be implicated in the matter and threatened to harm me if I did so. We left her in the garage, still breathing but unresponsive. She remained there overnight and was dead the next day."
According to Caroline, she again urged her husband to report the matter to the police, but he instead proposed a plan to discard the body. They allegedly went to the filling station to buy paraffin to burn her body, something Caroline said she tried to avoid but was constantly threatened by him when she refused to participate. "I did everything he asked me to do," she said during her confession.
Caroline also told the court that they walked to the skip, where Edward set Akundaishe's body alight. Following the incident, Caroline said she did not inform Akundaishe's mother, Rachel Kureva, about what happened, fearing that Edward would assault her.
The trial continues this week.
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