Family shooting bail hearing postponed

THE bail application of attempted murder suspect Michael Endjala, who is accused of having tried to kill his family in a bloody shooting spree in Khomasdal two months ago, will only be continuing early next month.

Magistrate Desmond Beukes was scheduled to continue hearing a bail application from Endjala (28) in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court in Katutura yesterday. The hearing was postponed to yesterday on Friday last week, after Endjala had wrapped up his testimony in support of his bail request and his wife, Priscilla Endjala, had also finished giving evidence in which she supported her husband’s bid to regain his freedom.The hearing did not continue as scheduled yesterday, though, because Endjala’s lawyer, Sisa Namandje, was not in Windhoek, Magistrate Beukes was told by Public Prosecutor Hitjevi Tjiroze when Endjala appeared before the Magistrate.Tjiroze told the court that he had been informed that Namandje was unable to be at court yesterday as he was in the north of Namibia and had not been provided with funds by his clients that would have enabled him to catch a flight to Windhoek to be at court.Endjala’s bail application will as a result continue on January 10 and 11.He remains in Police custody in the meantime.Endjala faces four charges of attempted murder.It is alleged that on the evening of October 20, at the rented flat where he and his family stayed in Khomasdal’s Garnet Street, Endjala took his 9 mm Makarov pistol and started shooting at members of his family.His wife was struck in the chest and seriously injured, his sister-in-law, Dorothy Gatyehe, was hit in the back and also injured seriously – she was shot in the back while trying to run to safety, the investigating officer in the case, Detective Sergeant Linekela Hilundwa, told the court on Friday – while the Endjalas’ 16-month-old baby girl was shot in the abdomen and their eight-year-old son was wounded in the leg.Hilundwa told the Magistrate last week that he has since been told by Mrs Endjala that she has forgiven her husband, that she still loves him, and that she wants him to be released on bail.Mrs Endjala herself told the court last week that she wants her husband to be released from custody.She wants him to be released so that he can return to his work and earn money to pay the family’s bills, including the costs of the continuing medical treatment that their wounded baby has to receive, Mrs Endjala stated to the court.On the possibility that there might be a repeat occurrence of the sort of violence that took place at their home on the evening of October 20, she merely said: “I don’t think it will happen again.”The hearing was postponed to yesterday on Friday last week, after Endjala had wrapped up his testimony in support of his bail request and his wife, Priscilla Endjala, had also finished giving evidence in which she supported her husband’s bid to regain his freedom.The hearing did not continue as scheduled yesterday, though, because Endjala’s lawyer, Sisa Namandje, was not in Windhoek, Magistrate Beukes was told by Public Prosecutor Hitjevi Tjiroze when Endjala appeared before the Magistrate.Tjiroze told the court that he had been informed that Namandje was unable to be at court yesterday as he was in the north of Namibia and had not been provided with funds by his clients that would have enabled him to catch a flight to Windhoek to be at court. Endjala’s bail application will as a result continue on January 10 and 11.He remains in Police custody in the meantime.Endjala faces four charges of attempted murder.It is alleged that on the evening of October 20, at the rented flat where he and his family stayed in Khomasdal’s Garnet Street, Endjala took his 9 mm Makarov pistol and started shooting at members of his family.His wife was struck in the chest and seriously injured, his sister-in-law, Dorothy Gatyehe, was hit in the back and also injured seriously – she was shot in the back while trying to run to safety, the investigating officer in the case, Detective Sergeant Linekela Hilundwa, told the court on Friday – while the Endjalas’ 16-month-old baby girl was shot in the abdomen and their eight-year-old son was wounded in the leg.Hilundwa told the Magistrate last week that he has since been told by Mrs Endjala that she has forgiven her husband, that she still loves him, and that she wants him to be released on bail.Mrs Endjala herself told the court last week that she wants her husband to be released from custody.She wants him to be released so that he can return to his work and earn money to pay the family’s bills, including the costs of the continuing medical treatment that their wounded baby has to receive, Mrs Endjala stated to the court.On the possibility that there might be a repeat occurrence of the sort of violence that took place at their home on the evening of October 20, she merely said: “I don’t think it will happen again.”