A man, who was convicted in the Oshakati High Court for stabbing his wife 13 times to death in 2013, has been sentenced to 35 years in prison. 
Buta Epamba (42) was convicted on a charge of murder read with the provisions of the Combating of Domestic Violence Act for the death of his wife Isabel Epamba (34) in Rundu on 1 September 2013.

Handing down the sentence, Judge Herman January said society regards domestic violence as abhorrent and cries out for stiff sentences.
 “The accused was married to the deceased. Logic dictates that she expected her loved one to protect her and their children. On the contrary, her husband was selfish and possessive; he reverted to periodical abuse and eventually took her life,” said January.

The court notes that Epamba was not remorseful for his actions and displayed an arrogant attitude during his trial. 
“I find that the accused is not genuinely remorseful. There is unchallenged evidence that the accused at some stage after the incident evicted the children from the house where they were staying. This reflects his arrogance,” said January.
It is alleged that Epamba and his deceased wife were not residing together as they were separated at the time. The deceased lived with their two children (twins) at the common home, and the accused resided at a flat. 

On the day of the incident, the accused went to the deceased’s home, confronted her of her absence the previous night and assaulted her in the presence of their children. The deceased, who was allegedly holding one of their children, tried to evade him by going to the kitchen. However, Epamba followed her, grabbed a kitchen knife and eventually stabbed her to death. 

According to the post-mortem report, 13 stab wounds were observed on the deceased’s body.
After allegedly murdering his wife, Epamba fled the scene and attempted to commit suicide by stabbing himself with a knife.
Witnesses who testified during the trial informed the court that Epamba was an abusive partner to the deceased to a point where the deceased had to obtain a protection order against him.
– mamakali@nepc.com.na