Stockley Kauejeao denied leave to appeal Kazeurua murder conviction

Stockley Kauejeao has been denied permission to appeal his conviction for the 2012 killing of stock theft investigator Wilfred ‘Major’ Kazeurua, a case that shook Namibia’s agricultural community.

Acting High Court judge Alfred Siboleka ruled on 20 February that the application “has no merit and is therefore declined.”

Kazeurua, a respected and seasoned stock theft investigator, vanished in December 2012 while tracing stolen cattle in the Kalahari constituency.

His disappearance prompted a widespread search. On 7 January 2013, his partially burnt body was found buried in an aardvark burrow – a grim and tragic discovery that stunned the farming community.

Kauejeao’s co-appellant, Afas Kamutjemo – originally accused four in the trial – died on 12 November 2025.

Kauejeao sought permission to challenge his convictions on 11 grounds of appeal.

He and co-accused Afas Kamutjemo were convicted in April last year, with the appeal application heard in October.

After considering the full trial record, Siboleka said the “whole body of evidence overwhelmingly established” the involvement of the accused in the crimes and that the charges were proved beyond reasonable doubt.

Kauejeao was convicted of murder, stock theft and obstructing the course of justice, while the late Kamutjemo was convicted on counts two and three.

Court rejects appeal grounds

Kauejeao argued, among other things, that his constitutional right to legal representation under Article 12(1)(e) had been violated because he was allegedly denied adequate time to secure counsel.

The court rejected this claim, describing it as “baseless, false, and without merit,” and found the record showed the accused had legal representation for most of the proceedings but repeatedly caused delays through changes of counsel and applications, including an unsuccessful recusal bid.

Further grounds included challenges to cellphone evidence, witness credibility, cattle identification and the forfeiture of the Tata truck, used to transport the stolen cattle, which were each found to lack merit.

The judge emphasised that the chronological sequence of events and the totality of circumstantial evidence proved the appellant had masterminded the crimes.

It reiterated that physical presence at the crime scene is not required for a conviction where connectivity to the offences is established beyond reasonable doubt.