35 years in prison for woman on murder, arson charges

A woman convicted of murdering two people by setting a house in Windhoek on fire near the end of 2022 acted with “utter indifference” after she had started the deadly blaze, a judge remarked in the Windhoek High Court on Friday.

Judge Claudia Claasen made the remark before sentencing Mecthilde Karomo (34) to an effective period of 35 years’ imprisonment.

Claasen sentenced Karomo to 32 years’ imprisonment on each of two counts of murder, and ordered that those sentences should be served concurrently.

She also sentenced Karomo to a jail term of three years on a charge of arson.

Karomo was found guilty on the three charges on 20 April.

She was accused of murdering her then boyfriend, Leonard Haupindi (36), and a woman, Anastasia Matende (31), by setting Haupindi’s house in the Okahandja Park area of Windhoek on fire during the early morning hours of 26 December 2022.

Haupindi and Matende both died in the fire that destroyed his house.

During Karomo’s trial, the court heard that Karomo had threatened to set Haupindi’s house alight after she became aware that Matende was in the house.

It is clear that Karomo’s irrational behaviour was driven by anger and jealousy, Claasen commented during the sentencing.

Karomo is a mother of two children, the court was informed after she was found guilty.

Haupindi had six children, and Matende had four children.

The ripple effect of Karomo’s actions extends far beyond the immediate victims of the fire, and will be felt for many years in the lives of the children who have lost a parent as a result of the fire she started, Claasen remarked.

It is in the interests of society that the courts should protect the sanctity of life, Claasen also said.

Karomo denied guilt on the charges when her trial started in April 2025.

A statement she made to a magistrate after her arrest formed part of the evidence placed before the court during her trial.

In the statement, Karomo says she demanded that Haupindi should open the door of his house after she had heard there was a woman inside, but he refused and got angry.

During an argument between her and Haupindi, he hit her on the head and a physical fight started, she said.

Karomo said she went to her house, which was next to Haupindi’s, after people had pulled her out of his yard, and overheard Haupindi referring to her as “that useless woman”, which hurt and angered her.

Karomo also told the magistrate she heard the sound of Haupindi’s door closing and thought he and the woman at his house had gone out. She then decided to set his shack on fire, she said.

After setting fire to a curtain in the shack, she returned home, put on earphones and listened to music, Karomo said.

Claasen remarked during the sentencing: “The moral blameworthiness of the accused is aggravated by the cruelty and gravity of her deeds, and her utter indifference after she set the place on fire.

By her own admission, she went home and listened to music nonchalantly.

It was not just indifference to the sanctity of life, but also to the risk and danger that such a fire posed to the surrounding houses at Okahandja Park, which were built close together.”

Given the close proximity of dwellings in the area, the fire started by Karomo threatened not only the property and safety of one household, but also created a real risk of a larger blaze that could have had catastrophic consequences for the surrounding community, Claasen said.

Karomo was represented by defence lawyer Mbanga Siyomunji during her trial.

Deputy prosecutor general Dominic Lisulo represented the state.

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