A GROUP of businessmen who are accused of launching an assault on a journalist at a nightspot in Windhoek early last year went on trial in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court yesterday.
Desmond Amunyela, David Imbili, Kiriata Kamanya and Agab Zedekias //Gowaseb pleaded not guilty to a charge of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm when their trial began before Magistrate Duard Kesslau.They are accused of having carried out an assault on freelance journalist John Grobler at Pharaoh’s, a bar in Klein Windhoek, on January 9 last year.Grobler is set to continue giving testimony under cross-examination from defence lawyer Sisa Namandje when the trial continues today.Yesterday, Namandje already told Grobler that according to the four men he was in an intoxicated and aggressive state at the bar. Grobler denied the claim, saying that it was ‘a bare-faced lie’ by the men and that they would be committing perjury if they give such testimony under oath.He told the court he was at the bar with a group of friends when he noticed that the four charged men were also present.At that stage he knew only Amunyela and Imbili, having previously written newspaper reports in which they and some of their business dealings featured, Grobler related.Amunyela had not been happy with one of these previous reports, which dealt with his involvement in a business deal with Namibia Wildlife Resorts, Grobler said.Some time after that story had been published Amunyela made a threat to him at Pharaoh’s, Grobler claimed. He said Amunyela told him on that occasion that he would ‘f*** me up’.Grobler said he and one of his friends were still at the bar in the early morning hours and were about to also go home when he passed by Amunyela after a bathroom visit.Amunyela accused him of having bumped into Amunyela, and he told Amunyela that he had not touched him, Grobler said.’I was trying to avoid a confrontation at all costs,’ Grobler told the court.Having rejoined his friend on the verandah of the bar, he said, Imbili approached him and started accusing him of hating black people and of being jealous of black people making money.Grobler said he saw Imbili and Kamanya to his one side, while Amunyela and //Gowaseb were to the other side.The group stepped closer to him while he had the exchange with Imbili, and then //Gowaseb threw the contents of his glass into Grobler’s face, Grobler claimed.He said Kamanya also moved closer, indicated to a Swapo logo in his shirt, and remarked that he was a Swapo member.He continued that he saw Imbili passing his whisky glass to Kamanya, and then Kamanya struck him against the side of his head with the glass, inflicting a cut in front of his left ear.’It was fast and with mean intent,’ Grobler said.He added that he got hit twice more from his left and fell to the ground, where he felt someone grabbing him by his hair and pulling his head up.As this was happening, Grobler claimed, he heard Amunyela screaming: ‘You see, John, this is what happens!’’I gave them no reason whatsoever to perpetrate this attack on me,’ he answered to a question from Public Prosecutor Phineas Nsundano.During his cross-examination Namandje told Grobler: ‘My clients are coming to say you were very intoxicated and violent.’’That is totally untrue,’ Grobler replied.The only one of the four men that he actually saw hitting him was Kamanya, who struck him with the glass, Grobler conceded under questioning from Namandje.Namandje also told Grobler that //Gowaseb only arrived at the bar after the incident had taken place. Grobler also denied this.Namandje further told Grobler that according to Kamanya, Grobler asked him if he was not ashamed of wearing a shirt with a Swapo logo on it. Grobler also denied this.Grobler was actually trying to pick a fight with Amunyela, Namandje also told him. This, too, Grobler denied.
