A man, convicted of repeatedly bashing his girlfriend on the head with a stone during an altercation and attempting to burn the body afterwards in November 2021, has been sentenced to 27 years’ imprisonment.

The sentence was handed down yesterday by Windhoek High Court Judge Dinah Usiku at the Windhoek Prison Court against the accused, Jakob Makatan.

Makatan (30) was convicted in July 2026 for murder with direct intent committed in a domestic setting, as well as defeating or obstructing the course of justice in relation to the death of his girlfriend, Christine Brander (25) between 19 and 20 November 2021 in Aminius in the Omaheke region.

It was alleged that Makatan and Brander were on their way on foot to a village called Otjongue in Aminius for a funeral.

However, Makatan allegedly assaulted Brander by hitting her multiple times with a stone on her head as well as on her body, causing her to die due to intracranial bleeding.

To conceal his crime, Makatan allegedly burnt the body, or part thereof, on a fire before dragging it away and dumping and hiding it under or behind bushes.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges, submitting that Brander had accused him of having an affair with her sister, which resulted in a physical altercation.

In mitigation, his counsel placed on record that he was 25 at the time of the incident, and that he is a single father of two minor children.

Judge Usiku found, that although Makatan was relatively young at the time he committed the crimes, “it must be noted that many heinous crimes today are committed by young persons”.

“And the time has come to send a message to these young criminals that they can no longer hide behind their youth”.

She stated that, throughout the trial, Makatan has shown no remorse, describing his demeanour as that of an “unrepentant liar” who had no regard for others.

Judge Usiku said that Makatan had refused to take full responsibility for his actions.

“In my view, there can be no hope for reformation by a person who does not acknowledge his wrongdoing. The accused has remained unwilling to accept legal and moral responsibility for what he has done to the deceased,” she stated.

On the other hand, the mother of the deceased said Brander and Makatan were in a relationship but had no children together.

She stated that Brander left behind two minor children.

The deceased’s mother said Brander and Makatan had a relationship, which was marred by distrust and violent behaviour, which in the end claimed her daughter’s life.

The judge stated that domestic violence threatens the stability of the family and negatively impacts all family members, especially children, who are now left orphaned because of the accused’s unlawful conduct.

“The deceased’s innocent children have to grow up without a mother, who ought to have played a crucial role in their upbringing,” she added.

She stated that, “while sentencing should be blended with mercy, it should, however, never be stretched to the point of foolishness or compromising the protection of the community”.

She added that the court should be mindful that mercy should not be confused with undue leniency.

The court must send a clear message that murder is a serious crime, which cannot be tolerated.

The sentence should, therefore, deter like-minded criminals and reassure law-abiding citizens that they will be protected.

Medical evidence reports multiple lacerations on the head of the deceased that led to bleeding in the brain and multiple burn wounds all over the body sustained from the fire. The State was represented by Zacharia Mupuma, and the accused by Laura Pack. –imukube@nepc.com.na