A 21-year-old man accused of killing his mother at Diyogha Village in the Mukwe Constituency made his first court appearance in the Rundu Magistrate's Court.

He is facing charges of murder, defeating the course of justice and violating the dead body.

Matende Ndjunga is accused of beating his mother to death with a pounding stick.

It is alleged that the deceased, Theresia Nando Kapinga, 57, lived with the suspect and another son, who is crippled, in makeshift structures at Diyogha.

The police report states that after killing his mother, Ndjunga proceeded to burn her clothes and blankets to destroy the evidence.

He is said to have started digging a hole to bury the body in an attempt to conceal the murder.

Ndjunga is remanded in police custody due to the seriousness of the case. The court stated that granting him bail would not be in the public interest and that of the administration of justice.

In a separate incident, police at Rundu arrested three men suspected of stealing antiretroviral drugs from the Rundu State Hospital.

The suspects are said to have tried to sell the drugs to undercover police officers in the Kehemu Informal Settlement.

At least six boxes containing 160 containers that hold 30 tablets each were confiscated.

Sources close to the hospital say the ARVs recovered equal a one-month dose for at least 160 patients.

The three are expected to appear in court on Monday.