Caprivi seven’s trial restarts
NAMPA
The retrial of seven men facing charges of high treason for their failed attempt to secede the Caprivi (now Zambezi) Region from the rest of Namibia will finally begin in the High Court in Windhoek in two weeks’ time.
The retrial is scheduled to kick off on 24 July before Acting Judge Petrus Unengu at the newly refurbished High Court building located at the Windhoek Central Correctional Facility.
The hearing is in respect of a special plea in which the seven accused are challenging the jurisdiction of Namibia’s High Court to try them on charges of high treason.
The group is claiming that they are “Caprivians and not Namibians” and for this reason, Namibia’s High Court has no legal power to try them on charges of high treason.
Senior State Advocate Neville Wamambo informed the court on Tuesday that the State was ready for the legal battle and would start calling witnesses to testify.
The date for the hearing of this special plea was decided upon as per agreement reached between Wamambo and the accused’s state-funded lawyers, Ilse Agenbach and George Neves.
The seven are Progress Kenyoka Munuma; Manuel Manepelo Makendano; Shine Samulandela Samulandela; Alex Sinjabata Mushakwa; Diamond Samunzala Salufu; Hoster Simasiku Ntombo and John Mazila Ntambwe.
They are implicated in a failed secession attempt on 2 August 1999.
The seven suffered a legal blow on 22 August 2016 when the Supreme Court dismissed their applications to appeal the dismissal of their earlier joint appeal, challenging the Windhoek High Court’s jurisdiction to try them on high treason charges.
They are again bringing a similar application before court when the matter resumes.
Their appeal applications were dismissed by Deputy Chief Justice Petrus Damaseb, with Chief Justice Peter Shivute, Judges of Appeal Fred Chomba and David Smuts, as well as Acting Judge of Appeal Yvonne Mokgoro concurring with the ruling.
However, an appeal application by Boster Mubuyaeta Samuele was successful and he was set free that day.
The men remain in custody at the Windhoek Central Correctional Facility until their next court appearance.
The retrial of seven men facing charges of high treason for their failed attempt to secede the Caprivi (now Zambezi) Region from the rest of Namibia will finally begin in the High Court in Windhoek in two weeks’ time.
The retrial is scheduled to kick off on 24 July before Acting Judge Petrus Unengu at the newly refurbished High Court building located at the Windhoek Central Correctional Facility.
The hearing is in respect of a special plea in which the seven accused are challenging the jurisdiction of Namibia’s High Court to try them on charges of high treason.
The group is claiming that they are “Caprivians and not Namibians” and for this reason, Namibia’s High Court has no legal power to try them on charges of high treason.
Senior State Advocate Neville Wamambo informed the court on Tuesday that the State was ready for the legal battle and would start calling witnesses to testify.
The date for the hearing of this special plea was decided upon as per agreement reached between Wamambo and the accused’s state-funded lawyers, Ilse Agenbach and George Neves.
The seven are Progress Kenyoka Munuma; Manuel Manepelo Makendano; Shine Samulandela Samulandela; Alex Sinjabata Mushakwa; Diamond Samunzala Salufu; Hoster Simasiku Ntombo and John Mazila Ntambwe.
They are implicated in a failed secession attempt on 2 August 1999.
The seven suffered a legal blow on 22 August 2016 when the Supreme Court dismissed their applications to appeal the dismissal of their earlier joint appeal, challenging the Windhoek High Court’s jurisdiction to try them on high treason charges.
They are again bringing a similar application before court when the matter resumes.
Their appeal applications were dismissed by Deputy Chief Justice Petrus Damaseb, with Chief Justice Peter Shivute, Judges of Appeal Fred Chomba and David Smuts, as well as Acting Judge of Appeal Yvonne Mokgoro concurring with the ruling.
However, an appeal application by Boster Mubuyaeta Samuele was successful and he was set free that day.
The men remain in custody at the Windhoek Central Correctional Facility until their next court appearance.
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