Former Caprivi Police chief testifies in high treason trial

THE 12 men charged in the second Caprivi high treason trial remained absent from the dock when the Namibian Police’s former regional commander in the Caprivi Region testified in their trial this week.

Having been removed from the High Court in Windhoek on Tuesday last week after they once again interrupted proceedings by starting to sing in court, none of the 12 were present to hear the testimony of Chief Inspector Hieronymus Goraseb on Monday. As a result, Goraseb wrapped up his testimony in an about an hour, and stepped from the witness stand without facing any questions in cross-examination.Goraseb took up the most senior post in the Police in the Caprivi Region in June 1999.Only two months later, he was to have a baptism of fire – suspected armed secessionists attacked a number of Government-related targets at Katima Mulilo, claiming eight lives in the process.The start of these events almost claimed Goraseb’s own life, according to the testimony he gave before Acting Judge John Manyarara on Monday.Goraseb told the court that at about 03h15 on August 2 1999 he was woken up by the sound of gunfire.He got up and phoned the Katima Mulilo Police Station, but the phone just rang without being answered.He then called a couple of senior Police colleagues and gave instructions that the source of the gunfire had to be investigated, before he drove to the Police Station himself, he said.He was driving a left-hand-drive Chevrolet bakkie, Goraseb recalled.The steering arrangement of the vehicle probably saved his life that night.He had driven about 30 metres into the yard of the Katima Mulilo Police Station when he saw someone dressed in a Police uniform, and apparently wounded, lying on the ground, Goraseb said.He stopped his vehicle, but kept the engine running in order to keep the headlights on.Just as he was about to get out of the car, he heard a single gunshot being fired.The shot went through the vehicle’s windscreen on the right-hand side of the cabin – exactly where the driver would have been sitting if it had been a conventional right-hand-drive bakkie, Goraseb related.As this happened he realised something was terribly wrong.His immediate reaction was to reverse out of the Police station yard.As he did so, several shots were fired at the vehicle, but none of them hit the bakkie or himself, Goraseb said.He later returned to the Police station, and this time found more Police officers outside.One of them told him that his vehicle had also been shot at, and that one of the officers in the vehicle had been wounded.In the hours that followed, he set out to gauge the extent of the attacks, Goraseb related.He received a report that some of the suspected attackers had been seen running through a bushy area in the town, he said.He found two people coming out of that area, stopped them and had them searched.Both had bandages and small bottles of ointment with them.Considering this suspicious, he directed that they should be arrested, Goraseb said.The two were identified to him as Joseph Kamwi and Brian Mushandikwe.Kamwi is one of the 119 men on trial before Judge Elton Hoff in the main Caprivi high treason trial.Mushandikwe died in Police custody before the start of the main treason trial.In another part of the same area of the town, a Police officer spotted a former Policeman, Derick Ndala, coming out of the same bushy area, Goraseb said.Ndala and a companion, Herbert Mutahane, were stopped and also searched.Similar bandages and ointment were found with them, he testified.They were also arrested.Ndala and Mutahane are also among the 119 men on trial before Judge Hoff.Mutahane then started to tell one of the Police officers that he knew where firearms had been hidden, Goraseb continued.Mutahane led them to a place where they found an RPG7 rocket launcher, an RPG projectile, an AK47 rifle with eight rounds of ammunition, a shotgun and two spotlights, Goraseb said.In the hours and days that were to follow, and while Goraseb remained the Police’s Regional Commander in the Caprivi, dozens of arrested people ended up being assaulted and tortured in the Katima Mulilo Police station cells.Not a word about these abuses crossed Goraseb’s lips during his testimony, nor did he face a single question about this topic.The trial continues today.As a result, Goraseb wrapped up his testimony in an about an hour, and stepped from the witness stand without facing any questions in cross-examination.Goraseb took up the most senior post in the Police in the Caprivi Region in June 1999.Only two months later, he was to have a baptism of fire – suspected armed secessionists attacked a number of Government-related targets at Katima Mulilo, claiming eight lives in the process.The start of these events almost claimed Goraseb’s own life, according to the testimony he gave before Acting Judge John Manyarara on Monday.Goraseb told the court that at about 03h15 on August 2 1999 he was woken up by the sound of gunfire.He got up and phoned the Katima Mulilo Police Station, but the phone just rang without being answered.He then called a couple of senior Police colleagues and gave instructions that the source of the gunfire had to be investigated, before he drove to the Police Station himself, he said.He was driving a left-hand-drive Chevrolet bakkie, Goraseb recalled.The steering arrangement of the vehicle probably saved his life that night.He had driven about 30 metres into the yard of the Katima Mulilo Police Station when he saw someone dressed in a Police uniform, and apparently wounded, lying on the ground, Goraseb said.He stopped his vehicle, but kept the engine running in order to keep the headlights on.Just as he was about to get out of the car, he heard a single gunshot being fired.The shot went through the vehicle’s windscreen on the right-hand side of the cabin – exactly where the driver would have been sitting if it had been a conventional right-hand-drive bakkie, Goraseb related.As this happened he realised something was terribly wrong.His immediate reaction was to reverse out of the Police station yard.As he did so, several shots were fired at the vehicle, but none of them hit the bakkie or himself, Goraseb said.He later returned to the Police station, and this time found more Police officers outside.One of them told him that his vehicle had also been shot at, and that one of the officers in the vehicle had been wounded.In the hours that followed, he set out to gauge the extent of the attacks, Goraseb related.He received a report that some of the suspected attackers had been seen running through a bushy area in the town, he said.He found two people coming out of that area, stopped them and had them searched.Both had bandages and small bottles of ointment with them.Considering this suspicious, he directed that they should be arrested, Goraseb said.The two were identified to him as Joseph Kamwi and Brian Mushandikwe.Kamwi is one of the 119 men on trial before Judge Elton Hoff in the main Caprivi high treason trial.Mushandikwe died in Police custody before the start of the main treason trial.In another part of the same area of the town, a Police officer spotted a former Policeman, Derick Ndala, coming out of the same bushy area, Goraseb said.Ndala and a companion, Herbert Mutahane, were stopped and also searched.Similar bandages and ointment were found with them, he testified.They were also arrested.Ndala and Mutahane are also among the 119 men on trial before Judge Hoff.Mutahane then started to tell one of the Police officers that he knew where firearms had been hidden, Goraseb continued.Mutahane led them to a place where they found an RPG7 rocket launcher, an RPG projectile, an AK47 rifle with eight rounds of ammunition, a shotgun and two spotlights, Goraseb said.In the hours and days that were to follow, and while Goraseb remained the Police’s Regional Commander in the Caprivi, dozens of arrested people ended up being assaulted and tortured in the Katima Mulilo Police station cells.Not a word about these abuses crossed Goraseb’s lips during his testimony, nor did he face a single question about this topic.The trial continues today.