2 in court over murder of comet watcher

TWO residents of Okahandja have been arrested and charged in connection with an armed robbery that claimed the life of a comet gazer in Windhoek almost two weeks ago.

According to their charge sheet, Erastus Haikali (27) and Petrus Mathias (28) appeared in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court in Katutura on charges of murder and robbery with aggravating circumstances. The Police’s Public Relations and Liaison Division, however, reported yesterday that the two suspects were arrested only on charges of being in possession of suspected stolen property.The two suspects are claimed to have bought items that were stolen during the robbery that claimed the life of Windhoek resident Kerneels (‘Neels’) Swiegers on January 18, a Police spokesperson, Warrant Officer James Matengu, said yesterday.The Police are still looking for the main culprits behind the robbery and murder of Swiegers, Matengu said.The two arrested men, he added, are alleged to have bought a cellphone that belonged to Swiegers and two cameras that were stolen in the robbery.Mathias appeared in court yesterday.Haikali made a first appearance on Friday already.Magistrate Uaatjo Uanivi postponed the duo’s case to April 27 for further investigations to be carried out.The Magistrate ordered that both suspects should remain in Police custody in the meantime.The 53-year-old Swiegers, who was employed at a car dealership in Windhoek, and a couple of friends were attacked by robbers while looking at Comet McNaught outside Windhoek shortly after sunset on the evening of January 18.Swiegers and his friends were photographing the comet, said to be the brightest comet to be visible from Earth in more than 40 years, from a hill in the Goreangab Dam area when three masked men reportedly emerged from the dark and held them at gunpoint.One of the men fired a shot which struck Swiegers in the chest, killing him.The robbers fled from the scene after taking a camera, a memory card and a wallet that Swiegers had with him.They also robbed Swiegers’s companions, taking two cameras from them, the Police reported after the incident.The Police’s Public Relations and Liaison Division, however, reported yesterday that the two suspects were arrested only on charges of being in possession of suspected stolen property.The two suspects are claimed to have bought items that were stolen during the robbery that claimed the life of Windhoek resident Kerneels (‘Neels’) Swiegers on January 18, a Police spokesperson, Warrant Officer James Matengu, said yesterday.The Police are still looking for the main culprits behind the robbery and murder of Swiegers, Matengu said.The two arrested men, he added, are alleged to have bought a cellphone that belonged to Swiegers and two cameras that were stolen in the robbery.Mathias appeared in court yesterday.Haikali made a first appearance on Friday already.Magistrate Uaatjo Uanivi postponed the duo’s case to April 27 for further investigations to be carried out.The Magistrate ordered that both suspects should remain in Police custody in the meantime.The 53-year-old Swiegers, who was employed at a car dealership in Windhoek, and a couple of friends were attacked by robbers while looking at Comet McNaught outside Windhoek shortly after sunset on the evening of January 18.Swiegers and his friends were photographing the comet, said to be the brightest comet to be visible from Earth in more than 40 years, from a hill in the Goreangab Dam area when three masked men reportedly emerged from the dark and held them at gunpoint.One of the men fired a shot which struck Swiegers in the chest, killing him.The robbers fled from the scene after taking a camera, a memory card and a wallet that Swiegers had with him.They also robbed Swiegers’s companions, taking two cameras from them, the Police reported after the incident.