Diplomat’s grandson pleads not guilty to 67 charges

ZONDI ASHIPEMBE, the grandson of a Namibian diplomat in South Africa, yesterday pleaded not guilty to all 67 charges against him in the Pretoria Regional Court.

The charges range from attempted rape, to robbery and housebreaking against a former South African State Advocate, Gerda Ferreira, in October last year. Outlining the state’s case against Ashipembe, Prosecutor Vleis van Zyl said he would provide the court with DNA, photographic and video evidence to prove the charges against Ashipembe.Ashipembe is the grandson of Namibia’s Third Secretary Maria Amathila at the embassy in Pretoria.However, as there were too many cases on the roll to be heard yesterday, the case was once again postponed for trial – until March 16 and 17 2006.Ashipembe enjoyed diplomatic immunity at the time he is alleged to have broken into Ferreira’s home on October 13 2004, threatening her with a knife, strangling and suffocating her as well as attempting to rape her twice.He is also accused of stealing Ferreira’s bank card and making several withdrawals from it.The case has been stalled on more than one occasion since the beginning of the year, while South Africa applied to the Namibian Government to waive Ashipembe’s immunity so that he could stand trial on all the charges.Ashipembe has been out on bail of N$50 000 since his arrest last year.Outlining the state’s case against Ashipembe, Prosecutor Vleis van Zyl said he would provide the court with DNA, photographic and video evidence to prove the charges against Ashipembe.Ashipembe is the grandson of Namibia’s Third Secretary Maria Amathila at the embassy in Pretoria.However, as there were too many cases on the roll to be heard yesterday, the case was once again postponed for trial – until March 16 and 17 2006.Ashipembe enjoyed diplomatic immunity at the time he is alleged to have broken into Ferreira’s home on October 13 2004, threatening her with a knife, strangling and suffocating her as well as attempting to rape her twice.He is also accused of stealing Ferreira’s bank card and making several withdrawals from it.The case has been stalled on more than one occasion since the beginning of the year, while South Africa applied to the Namibian Government to waive Ashipembe’s immunity so that he could stand trial on all the charges.Ashipembe has been out on bail of N$50 000 since his arrest last year.