Allexer Namundjembo
A 33-year-old man accused of killing his two children in Onkani village, Omuntele constituency, was denied bail during his first court appearance in Ondangwa on Tuesday.
The accused, Thomas Sheya, faces two counts of murder after allegedly twisting the necks of his children, four-year-old Ruusa Sheya and two-year-old Andreas Sheya, on Sunday night.
Magistrate Nelao ya France refused granting bail citing the seriousness of the case, public interest, and the early stage of investigations.
The case was postponed to 23 March 2026 as police await postmortem results and continue with investigations. Sheya has opted for a state-funded lawyer.
According to police reports, Sheya returned from Windhoek with his children on Friday. On Sunday afternoon, he left home with them, saying he was escorting them to the gravel road for pickup. Later that night, he allegedly sent text messages to family members and the children’s mother, confessing to killing the children and leaving their bodies near a water point.
Sheya fled the scene but handed himself over to the police in Okatope on Monday morning, where he was arrested.
The killings have sparked an outcry from the members of the public. On Monday, the Swapo Party Youth League (SPYL) issued a statement denouncing the murders as “violent and senseless”.
SPYL urged law enforcement to pursue justice without compromise and called on communities to strengthen child protection measures.
The Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) Women’s League condemned the killings on the same day, asserting that Namibia should not tolerate such crimes.
They called on the state to intensify efforts against violence toward children and to enforce harsher penalties for offenders.
Both organisations stressed that no child should lose their life in this way and demanded justice for Ruusa and Andreas Sheya.
The case adds to a pattern of violence against children in Namibia. In 2023, well over 900 cases of sexual abuse, over 500 of physical abuse, and more than 1 000 cases of neglect were reported.
Civil society groups have cautioned that a single weekend can record up to ten incidents of abuse or child killings.
