Comet-watcher murder suspects lose trial date

THE trial of three men who are accused of murdering a Windhoek resident during an armed robbery that brought a comet-watching outing to a deadly end in early 2007 could not start as planned in the High Court in Windhoek this week after the defence lawyer of one of the suspects withdrew from the case.

The trial of Max Kleopas (28), Festus Nepembe Kiimba (31) and Josef Taukondjo Shikongo (32), who are accused of robbing and murdering Cornelius Swiegers (53) outside Windhoek on January 18 2007, was set to start before Judge Nate Ndauendapo on Wednesday. Instead of that happening, though, defence lawyer Louis Karsten told Judge Ndauendapo that he had to withdraw from representing Kleopas, since he received conflicting instructions from Kleopas when he again consulted with him on the morning that the trial was set to start.The result of this is that the case was postponed yesterday to November 26, when Kleopas and his co-accused will have to make another pre-trial appearance in the High Court to see if the Legal Aid Directorate has instructed another defence lawyer to represent Kleopas.The trial was scheduled to start on Wednesday and run until November 30.Those trial dates have now been lost, and chances are that the earliest next trial dates that would be found would be only in 2011.The three charged men have been in custody since their arrest in early 2007. Kleopas was arrested on January 31 2007, while Kiimba and Shikongo were arrested on February 3 that year.They are accused of killing Swiegers by shooting him in the chest when he, a friend and the friend’s two daughters were attacked where they were viewing and photographing Comet McNaught in the Goreangab Dam area west of Windhoek.Comet McNaught was a celestial celebrity at that time, as it was the brightest comet to be visible from earth in more than four decades.It is alleged that Swiegers and his companions were attacked by three men who were armed with guns and knives. After Swiegers had been shot by one of the robbers, the attackers fled with two cell phones, three cameras, binoculars, two wallets, about N$500 in cash and other items that they had stolen from Swiegers and his companions.Swiegers died at the scene.According to the indictment faced by the three charged men the prosecution has 35 witnesses that could be called to testify in the trial.State advocate Belinda Wantenaar was set to conduct the prosecution. Kiimba is being represented by Winnie Christians, with Shikongo represented by Lucia Hamutenya.