Windhoek: High Court Judge Claudia Claasen on Monday convicted Mechthilde Karomo on two counts of murder and a charge of arson following a fatal shack fire that claimed two lives in December 2022. Karomo was found guilty of killing her boyfriend, Leonard Kadubuli, and Anastasia Matende, a woman she suspected to be his new partner, after setting alight Kadubuli's shack while the two were asleep on 26 December 2022.

According to Namibia Press Agency, the court heard that on the night in question, Karomo went to Kadubuli's shack and demanded entry, allegedly threatening to burn down the structure and kill its occupants. She reportedly returned in the early hours of the following day and set the shack on fire. In her ruling, Judge Claasen said evidence presented during the trial established that Karomo deliberately ignited the shack, resulting in the deaths of both occupants.

The court also found her guilty of malicious damage to property. Testifying during the trial, then Okahandja Park councillor Christopher Likuwa told the court he rushed to the scene after being alerted to the incident. Neighbours directed him to Karomo's residence, where he questioned her about the fire. According to his testimony, Karomo was initially reluctant to respond but later admitted that her boyfriend had brought another woman into their home.

Judge Claasen further noted that Karomo admitted to opening a gas cylinder behind Kadubuli's shack before setting it alight. Magistrate Venetius Alweendo also testified that Karomo confessed to him that Kadubuli had insulted her in front of Matende, allegedly calling her 'crazy' in an attempt to impress the other woman. The court heard that Karomo also believed Kadubuli had told others that she was a prostitute and that men had abandoned her with children.

In her defence, Karomo maintained that she was unaware that two people were inside the shack when she set it on fire.