Man denies killing daughter (5)

Forex trader Joseph Martin Nghishihange has denied murdering his five-year-old daughter and asked the Oshakati Magistrate’s Court to release him on bail.

Testifying before magistrate Nelao Ya France last Thursday, the 23-year-old denied allegations of abusing his daughter Mia on several occasions before her death in February.

“I am not the one who caused the death of my child and I have no reason to cause the death of my daughter,” he told the court.

The State opposed bail, citing the seriousness of the charges, the risk of interference with witnesses and fears that Nghishihange could abscond.

Prosecutor Purity Mulemwa Kanyimba also argued that his release would not be in the public interest or the administration of justice.

Nghishihange remains in custody. His bail application hearing is set to continue on Thursday.

The State has accused Nghishihange of abusing Mia between November 2025 and 24 February. Mia reportedly began living with her father in December.

Nghishihange testified that he brought her from his grandmother’s home at Onyati village so she could attend a private school alongside her older brother.

According to Nghishihange, Mia already had a wound on her head and marks on her body when she arrived. He claimed his grandmother attributed the head wound to a tree branch and the other marks to assaults by a caregiver at the village.

Nghishihange also testified that a nanny who cared for his children in Ongwediva left three days before Mia died. He said the nanny had told him the previous day that Mia had fallen in the shower and injured her lip.

Business stopped

Nghishihange said he had been unable to mourn and bury Mia because he was arrested before her funeral.

“Whilst I am in custody now, my business stopped, and I am struggling to pay my legal fees,” he testified.

He told the court that all his family members were in Namibia and that he owned two residential plots and a vehicle. He offered to surrender his passport, report to the police and comply with conditions preventing contact with State witnesses.

Nghishihange acknowledged a previous conviction for defamation in 2023, but said he had no other pending criminal cases.