Court sequel to mistaken ‘baboon’ killing

TWO men are to appear in the Outjo Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, charged with the shooting and killing of a man they allegedly mistook for a baboon.

Pieter Hendrik Spangenberg, better known as Rickus, and Christie Ayres appeared early last month but their case was postponed to June 8 for further investigation. The State alleges that Spangenberg shot and killed Evelino Munenge Jacob while in the company of Ayres at farm Zhukov in the Outjo district.They allegedly transported the corpse some 60km away from the farm where they buried it.The case has pushed racism to the forefront of public interest at Outjo.When the two appeared in court on May 6, around 300 residents of the town, led by six women carrying an empty coffin, demanded that farm Zhukov be expropriated.Information Permanent Secretary Mocks Shivute condemned the killing.”The Government finds it abhorrent and incomprehensible that any person, in his right frame of mind, could mistake a fellow human being for a monkey, kill him and then remove his remains from the scene of crime,” said Shivute.He said the only conclusion or inference from the chain of incidents was that it was a “deliberate and calculated racist move on the part of the farmers”.The Senior State Prosecutor at Outjo, Hans Tourob, said the case was scheduled for Tuesday.The State alleges that Spangenberg shot and killed Evelino Munenge Jacob while in the company of Ayres at farm Zhukov in the Outjo district.They allegedly transported the corpse some 60km away from the farm where they buried it.The case has pushed racism to the forefront of public interest at Outjo.When the two appeared in court on May 6, around 300 residents of the town, led by six women carrying an empty coffin, demanded that farm Zhukov be expropriated.Information Permanent Secretary Mocks Shivute condemned the killing.”The Government finds it abhorrent and incomprehensible that any person, in his right frame of mind, could mistake a fellow human being for a monkey, kill him and then remove his remains from the scene of crime,” said Shivute.He said the only conclusion or inference from the chain of incidents was that it was a “deliberate and calculated racist move on the part of the farmers”.The Senior State Prosecutor at Outjo, Hans Tourob, said the case was scheduled for Tuesday.