Teen mum (16) accused of killing boyfriend denied bail
A 16-year-old mother accused of fatally stabbing her live-in boyfriend at Okahandja last weekend appeared in the town’s magistrate’s court yesterday, where she was denied bail.
The usually quiet corridors of the court were filled with tension, tears and the cries of the teenager’s six-month-old baby, as two families faced the devastating reality of one life lost and another hanging in the balance.
From as early as 08:00, relatives of the young mother gathered outside the courtroom to show support as she made her first appearance in connection with the death of her 23-year-old boyfriend, Pernadino Cloete.
Bail denied
Magistrate Masule Kwizi denied the accused bail, citing the seriousness of the charge, the risk of abscondment and the interests of justice.
The teenager, whose name is withheld because she is a minor, allegedly stabbed Cloete once with a kitchen knife during an argument at Saamstaan informal settlement last Saturday before fleeing the scene.
Sources close to the families described the relationship as volatile and abusive, saying the two had been involved in frequent fights.
“On the day of the incident, a relative came running to tell us that the two were fighting,” one family member said.
When relatives entered the room where the couple lived, they reportedly found Cloete wounded and the teenage suspect visibly shaken.
“She was still holding the knife,” a family member told Namibian Sun in an exclusive interview. “She confessed softly that she had stabbed him once and that it was never her intention to harm him," the relative claimed.
Moments later, she was informed that Cloete had died from his injuries. The family said they advised her to surrender to the police, which she did shortly afterwards.
Troubled relationship
Family members claimed the couple’s relationship had been troubled long before the tragedy.
“We once warned her not to argue if he came looking for a fight, but they fought anyway,” a relative said.
During her pregnancy, the girl allegedly endured abuse but never reported it.
“Cloete’s mother once told her to go to the police,” another family member recalled. “But she stood outside the station, looked at the building, and turned back. She said she didn’t want him to lose his job – he was the father of her child.”
Relatives suggested the teenager's last thoughts before her arrest were not about escape but about her baby and the man she insists she never meant to kill.
“Her heart was never to take her child’s father away,” a family member said.
Next steps
The State has confirmed that the infant will be placed in the care of relatives while the accused remains in custody at the Okahandja police cells.
The case has been postponed to 19 February 2026 for further investigation and to allow the accused to obtain private legal representation.
The usually quiet corridors of the court were filled with tension, tears and the cries of the teenager’s six-month-old baby, as two families faced the devastating reality of one life lost and another hanging in the balance.
From as early as 08:00, relatives of the young mother gathered outside the courtroom to show support as she made her first appearance in connection with the death of her 23-year-old boyfriend, Pernadino Cloete.
Bail denied
Magistrate Masule Kwizi denied the accused bail, citing the seriousness of the charge, the risk of abscondment and the interests of justice.
The teenager, whose name is withheld because she is a minor, allegedly stabbed Cloete once with a kitchen knife during an argument at Saamstaan informal settlement last Saturday before fleeing the scene.
Sources close to the families described the relationship as volatile and abusive, saying the two had been involved in frequent fights.
“On the day of the incident, a relative came running to tell us that the two were fighting,” one family member said.
When relatives entered the room where the couple lived, they reportedly found Cloete wounded and the teenage suspect visibly shaken.
“She was still holding the knife,” a family member told Namibian Sun in an exclusive interview. “She confessed softly that she had stabbed him once and that it was never her intention to harm him," the relative claimed.
Moments later, she was informed that Cloete had died from his injuries. The family said they advised her to surrender to the police, which she did shortly afterwards.
Troubled relationship
Family members claimed the couple’s relationship had been troubled long before the tragedy.
“We once warned her not to argue if he came looking for a fight, but they fought anyway,” a relative said.
During her pregnancy, the girl allegedly endured abuse but never reported it.
“Cloete’s mother once told her to go to the police,” another family member recalled. “But she stood outside the station, looked at the building, and turned back. She said she didn’t want him to lose his job – he was the father of her child.”
Relatives suggested the teenager's last thoughts before her arrest were not about escape but about her baby and the man she insists she never meant to kill.
“Her heart was never to take her child’s father away,” a family member said.
Next steps
The State has confirmed that the infant will be placed in the care of relatives while the accused remains in custody at the Okahandja police cells.
The case has been postponed to 19 February 2026 for further investigation and to allow the accused to obtain private legal representation.
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