Panga killing relived in court

WERNER MENGES THE last moments in the life of Kalina Kambahepa – hacked to death with a panga at the age of 21 two years ago – were relived in the High Court in Windhoek this week.

Kambahepa was lying still on her stomach where she had fallen in the yard of the house where she lived at Kamanjab when her boyfriend, Stanley Danster, continued with an attack on her by hitting her several times on the back of the head with a panga, alleged eyewitnesses of the last stage of a deadly attack on Kambahepa claimed in testimony heard by Judge Sylvester Mainga on Wednesday. Danster’s trial started on Tuesday, when he pleaded not guilty to one charge of murder and two counts of attempted murder.He is accused of having murdered Kambahepa in a panga attack at her home at Kamanjab on the evening of March 28 2004.Danster (25) is further accused of having attempted to murder Edward Kambahe and Paulus Komahama, two men who had gone to Kambahepa’s aid when she cried for help, by trying to attack them with the panga on the same evening.Danster claims that Kambahepa had first attacked him with an unknown object in her room that evening, Danster’s defence counsel, Louis Karsten, told Judge Mainga when he explained Danster’s plea to the court.Danster claims that he later got angry and grabbed the weapon with which Kambahepa was attacking him, Karsten related further.During his cross-examination of some of the State witnesses Karsten he put it to the witnesses that during a conversation with Kambahepa in her room that evening, Kambahepa complained to Danster about interference in their relationship by her family, who were supposedly opposed to their romantic entanglement.Kambahepa then threatened Danster that she would first kill him and then commit suicide, before she launched into an attack on him, Karsten also stated to the late Kambahepa’s sister, Magdalena Kambahepa, when she testified on Wednesday.Komahama had told the court that when he was in Danster’s company at a shebeen at Kamanjab earlier on the day of the incident, Danster had complained that his heart had been broken by Kambahepa, and he threatened that if they were to meet again, he would kill her first and then himself.A report of a commotion at Kambahepa’s home attracted Komahama to her house on the evening in question, he testified.At the house, Komahama said, he ran into Danster, who warned him that he was going to chop him and then made a movement with his arm, upon which Komahama saw that he had a bloodstained panga in his hand.Edward Kambahe, who said he had been drawn to the scene by screams and cries for help, told the court that the moment he entered a doorway at the house he found his hat being hit off his head.At that moment he heard a panga – which he then saw was in Danster’s hand – striking the door frame next to his head.He, too, fled to safety.Magdalena Kambahepa is one of the three alleged eyewitnesses to the fatal last moments of the panga attack.She said she found Danster trying to force open her sister’s bedroom door on the evening in question.Kalina Kambahepa, dressed in her nightgown, was inside, trying to keep the door closed, she told the court.Danster was hitting at the door with a panga, and at some stage, her sister stopped putting up a fight from inside and let him in, Kambahepa testified.She said Danster went into the room and started hitting her sister with the panga.”At that stage, when my sister was being chopped with the panga, she was just standing there, trying to block the blows,” she told the court.Kalina Kambahepa also tried to run to safety, but after a few steps she fell to the ground in the yard outside her room, Magdalena Kambahepa recounted.When he stopped that, he threw the panga onto the roof of Kalina Kambahepa’s room and left, Magdalena Kambahepa said.From across the street, a second alleged eyewitness, Gerhardtine Aebes, also claims to have seen the attack, even though it was already dark.The trial continues today.Deputy Prosecutor General Heidi Jacobs is prosecuting.Danster’s trial started on Tuesday, when he pleaded not guilty to one charge of murder and two counts of attempted murder.He is accused of having murdered Kambahepa in a panga attack at her home at Kamanjab on the evening of March 28 2004.Danster (25) is further accused of having attempted to murder Edward Kambahe and Paulus Komahama, two men who had gone to Kambahepa’s aid when she cried for help, by trying to attack them with the panga on the same evening.Danster claims that Kambahepa had first attacked him with an unknown object in her room that evening, Danster’s defence counsel, Louis Karsten, told Judge Mainga when he explained Danster’s plea to the court.Danster claims that he later got angry and grabbed the weapon with which Kambahepa was attacking him, Karsten related further.During his cross-examination of some of the State witnesses Karsten he put it to the witnesses that during a conversation with Kambahepa in her room that evening, Kambahepa complained to Danster about interference in their relationship by her family, who were supposedly opposed to their romantic entanglement.Kambahepa then threatened Danster that she would first kill him and then commit suicide, before she launched into an attack on him, Karsten also stated to the late Kambahepa’s sister, Magdalena Kambahepa, when she testified on Wednesday.Komahama had told the court that when he was in Danster’s company at a shebeen at Kamanjab earlier on the day of the incident, Danster had complained that his heart had been broken by Kambahepa, and he threatened that if they were to meet again, he would kill her first and then himself.A report of a commotion at Kambahepa’s home attracted Komahama to her house on the evening in question, he testified.At the house, Komahama said, he ran into Danster, who warned him that he was going to chop him and then made a movement with his arm, upon which Komahama saw that he had a bloodstained panga in his hand.Edward Kambahe, who said he had been drawn to the scene by screams and cries for help, told the court that the moment he entered a doorway at the house he found his hat being hit off his head.At that moment he heard a panga – which he then saw was in Danster’s hand – striking the door frame next to his head.He, too, fled to safety.Magdalena Kambahepa is one of the three alleged eyewitnesses to the fatal last moments of the panga attack.She said she found Danster trying to force open her sister’s bedroom door on the evening in question.Kalina Kambahepa, dressed in her nightgown, was inside, trying to keep the door closed, she told the court.Danster was hitting at the door with a panga, and at some stage, her sister stopped putting up a fight from inside and let him in, Kambahepa testified.She said Danster went into the room and started hitting her sister with the panga.”At that stage, when my sister was being chopped with the panga, she was just standing there, trying to block the blows,” she told the court.Kalina Kambahepa also tried to run to safety, but after a few steps she fell to the ground in the yard outside her room, Magdalena Kambahepa recounted.When he stopped that, he threw the panga onto the roof of Kalina Kambahepa’s room and left, Magdalena Kambahepa said.From across the street, a second alleged eyewitness, Gerhardtine Aebes, also claims to have seen the attack, even though it was already dark.The trial continues today.Deputy Prosecutor General Heidi Jacobs is prosecuting.