WALVIS BAY resident Azaan Madisia had an intimate relationship with the partner of the woman she is accused of killing in April 2020, according to testimony heard in the Windhoek High Court yesterday.
About two months before Shanon Wasserfall (21) was allegedly murdered, her boyfriend, Petrus Shoopala, still had a sexual relationship with Madisia, Shoopala testified on the second day of Madisia’s trial before judge Christie Liebenberg.
Shoopala told the court a sexual relationship between him and Madisia started in 2019, during a time that Wasserfall was living in Windhoek.
While he and Madisia had a sexual relationship, from his side it was not a romantic one, he said.
At the start of his testimony, Shoopala described Madisia as a friend.
He said he never informed Wasserfall of his and Madisia’s entanglement, which started before Madisia and Wasserfall got to know each other.
Shoopala said he and Wasserfall met in June 2017. In December 2018, they became the parents of a son.
After a stint of living in Windhoek, Wasserfall moved back to Walvis Bay near the end of 2019, Shoopala related.
Following that, his and Madisia’s intimate relationship continued around February 2020, he said.
Shoopala also told the judge it was through him that Madisia and Wasserfall met each other.
Wasserfall and Madisia spent time socialising, and as far as he could observe they were on friendly terms – to such an extent that Wasserfall trusted Madisia to look after her son, he said.
Shoopala said on 10 April 2020 – the Friday on which Wasserfall disappeared following a visit to Madisia’s flat – she had planned to leave her son with Madisia for the weekend, to get him used to an arrangement for Madisia to occasionally look after him.
Madisia loved his and Wasserfall’s son, he added.
Shoopala further recounted that before Wasserfall’s disappearance he had told Madisia he wanted to be serious with his and Wasserfall’s relationship.
Madisia respected that decision, her defence lawyer, Albert Titus, told the witness.
Madisia (30) and her brother Steven Mulundu (25) are standing trial on charges of murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances and defeating or obstructing the course of justice in connection with the death of Wasserfall, who was missing for six months before her skeletal remains were discovered buried at Walvis Bay on 6 October 2020.
Madisia and Mulundu both denied guilt on the counts of murder and robbery and pleaded guilty on the charge of defeating or obstructing the course of justice on Monday.
Madisia also admitted guilt on two counts of insurance fraud not related to the death of Wasserfall.
In two written plea explanations given to the court, Madisia said she and Wasserfall had an argument that became a physical altercation after they had spent part of the day of 10 April 2020 having “a normal, fun-filled time” at her flat.
Madisia stated that during the altercation Wasserfall pushed her and bit one of her fingers, and that she retaliated by pushing Wasserfall, who tumbled over a bed and fell to the floor, where she remained lying motionless.
According to Madisia, she was in a state of shock and panic when it appeared to her that Wasserfall had died, and she then phoned Mulundu and summoned him to her flat.
After Mulundu at first said they should call the police, they decided to move Wasserfall’s body out of her flat and ended up driving with the body to an area near Walvis Bay’s Dunes Mall, where they buried Wasserfall in a shallow grave, Madisia said.
She also stated that when she pushed Wasserfall she did not do so with an intent to kill her, and she could not foresee that by pushing her Wasserfall would die.
According to Mulundu – also in a written plea statement – his sister told him she and Wasserfall had pushed each other during a fight, that Wasserfall hit her head on the floor when she fell, and that she lost consciousness after that.
The trial is continuing.
