2 plead guilty to farm murder

TWO murder suspects accused of killing a farmer in the Otavi area a week ago pleaded guilty when they made a first appearance in the Grootfontein Magistrate’s Court yesterday.

Petrus Augustino Gowab (26) and Hendrik Five Kharosab (25) pleaded guilty to three charges when they appeared before Magistrate André le Roux. The most serious of these is a count of murder.It stems from an incident at the farm Eldorado, situated some 40 kilometres southwest of Otavi, on Tuesday evening last week, when farmer Frederick Jacobus (“Frikkie”) Theron (73) was stabbed to death at his farmhouse.Gowab told the court that he had gone to Eldorado to steal oranges when Theron caught him.He then decided to kill the farmer, he said, telling the court that he stabbed Theron six times with an Okapi knife.Kharosab, who is from Tsumeb, also pleaded guilty to the murder charge.He told the court that although he had not taken part in the stabbing, he was present when the incident happened, and that he wanted to plead guilty as a result of that fact.Gowab and Kharosab have been remanded in custody.They have to appear in court again on November 17.The most serious of these is a count of murder.It stems from an incident at the farm Eldorado, situated some 40 kilometres southwest of Otavi, on Tuesday evening last week, when farmer Frederick Jacobus (“Frikkie”) Theron (73) was stabbed to death at his farmhouse.Gowab told the court that he had gone to Eldorado to steal oranges when Theron caught him.He then decided to kill the farmer, he said, telling the court that he stabbed Theron six times with an Okapi knife.Kharosab, who is from Tsumeb, also pleaded guilty to the murder charge.He told the court that although he had not taken part in the stabbing, he was present when the incident happened, and that he wanted to plead guilty as a result of that fact.Gowab and Kharosab have been remanded in custody.They have to appear in court again on November 17.