AN arrest warrant has been issued for a 48-year-old man who yesterday failed to show up for his scheduled judgement hearing in the
Windhoek High Court. Jan Moses Uamunika is charged with murder for the alleged killing of Rehoboth farmer Joseph Adriaan Shorty
Barth, who was 69 years old at the time of his demise in 2017.

Uamunika was on a warning from the court after the case was initially withdrawn and then reinstated. This resulted in Windhoek High Court acting Judge Eileen Rakow issuing a warrant of arrest. The accused’s legal aid lawyer Milton Engelbrecht informed the judge he had no knowledge of the whereabouts of his client and had no objection for a warrant of arrest, with immediate effect, to be issued. According to the
State, Uamunika killed Barth on his farm Naruchas, 28 kilometres outside Rehoboth during the period 30-31 August 2017 and robbed him of a small solar panel (valued at N$500), one brown leather wallet (valued at N$150), a white VW Golf sedan (valued at N$12 500) and the keys to the Golf.

He is further accused of stealing one STK cellphone and SIM card from the victim. According to the indictment, Uamunika was employed by
Barth on Farm Naruchas and that during the late afternoon hours of 30 August, they travelled from Rehoboth to the farm in the
vehicle of the deceased.

During the same afternoon, the indictment read, Uamunika shot Barth in both his legs with a .22 rifle belonging to the deceased
and further assaulted Barth by hitting, cutting, stabbing him with sticks and other unknown objects on his head and body. The deceased died on the scene due to blunt force injury to his head caused by the assault on him, it is charged. Uamunika then loaded the stolen items into the vehicle of Barth and drove off with it in the direction of Rehoboth where he abandoned it, the charge sheet states, where-after, he fled
to Mariental where he sold a cellphone borrowed to him by the deceased. He was arrested two months later in Mariental.
Uamunika pleaded not guilty to the charges and entered a plea explanation in which he pleaded self-defence.

According to him, the victim attacked him without warning when he enquired about his outstanding pay and threatened to shoot him. He said he managed to ward off the attack and beat the deceased with a stick on the ribs and knees and tied him up before he left the farm. He denied
firing any shots at the deceased.

He further denied any intention to injure or kill the deceased and said he was just defending himself against the victim. The State is represented
by Basson Lilungwe.