By:Kelvin Chiringa
The conviction of the Commissioner of Refugees, Likius Valombola, over the murder of a student leader is nothing to celebrate, ex-Nanso leader Bernard Kavau has said.
After a lengthy court fight, Valombola has been found guilty of the murder of the former Nanso executive member, Helao Ndjaba.
The court has heard that the 56-year-old Valombola gunned down Ndjaba by shooting him two times in the head in the middle of a scuffle in the Ombili location of Windhoek sometime in May of 2018.
However, Kavau has expressed dismay citing that it took so long to arrive at conviction finally.
He said that while the courts have done their part, the conviction will, sadly, never bring back the life of Ndjaba.
“Indeed, when the incident happened, I was the national vice-president of Nanso, dealing with the discipline and affairs of the organization. In the first place, I can say that we are very disappointed that the case took this much longer when it was always there that this man who has now been found guilty was the one who committed the crime.
“It makes us wonder why it took this long. It is very disappointing that justice could not prevail during that period. Just imagine the pain the family has gone through all this time. We are talking about 2018, and that is three years. We have to question our justice system. How serious are they in terms of taking legal cases like murder seriously?” he said.
Kavau has said that money has played a role in the case taking time.
“So, it gives us the impression that the more you have money, the more your case is postponed so that you are made to be better prepared,” he said.
During the trial, Valombola has constantly denied killing Ndjaba with intent.
He admitted to firing two shots at 10-second intervals but said these were meant to warn Ndjaba during a confrontation in the streets of Ombili in Windhoek.
Valombola’s lawyer at some point argued that the state had failed to prove that the commissioner had shot the student leader and murdered him intentionally.
Lawyer Nambili Mhata then delivered an application before Windhoek High Court Judge Claudia Claasen to dismiss all charges.
Mhata had also tried to convince the court that the evidence of the key witnesses in the murder case was riddled with contradictions and inconsistencies.
He also pointed out that the evidence of the expert witnesses was useless and that it wouldn’t assist the court to reach a fair conclusion.
Valombola will be held in police custody at the Windhoek Correctional Facility until his date of sentencing.