Transgender Murder Trial: Case Advances to High Court

Staff Reporter NAUNDOMBA Elias Namwandi and Mervin Lele Beukes, the two young men accused of the murder of trans woman Christoph Frederick (30), whose mutilated body was discovered in a riverbed in Otjomuise, Windhoek, with the genitalia removed, appeared in the Windhoek High Court today. Namwandi and Beukes were both 18 years old at the time of the offence and face charges of murder, obstruction of justice, and violating a corpse. SHOWING SOLIDARITY: Some activists showed their support for family at the High Court following the appearance of two men charged with the heinous murder of Christoph Frederick. Frederick’s body was discovered on 2 May 2024, around 07:00, in a riverbed next to the Chairman Mao Zedong High School in Windhoek’s peripheral settlement of Otjomuise, 7de Laan, with 32 stab wounds and the genitalia removed and placed on the chest. Frederick, a member of the LGBTQ+ community who identified as a woman, went missing on 1 May 2024, between 10:00 and 11:00, after being in the company of a female friend and never returning home. Deputy Judge President Hannelie Prinsloo postponed the matter to 18 February 2026 to allow the defence attorneys to file a response to the State’s pre-trial memorandum. Members of the LGBTQ+ community gathered outside the court to show solidarity. One of them, Kourtney Reinecke, who identifies as a trans woman and is a member of Wings to Transcend Namibia, a transgender organisation, called on the State to take legal measures to protect the lives and rights of transgender people. “There is a misconception from the broader public that being Trans is illegal. As much as it is not criminalised, the State should ensure that Trans people are protected from violence and discrimination. This particular incident with Sexy Frederick should not repeat itself,” Reinecke said.