Massacre-accused brothers expected to testify

BROTHERS Sylvester and Gavin Beukes, accused of carrying out a massacre that left eight people dead at a farm in the Kalkrand area in March 2005, could for the first time since the beginning of their trial seven months ago testify in the High Court in Windhoek from today.

The first of the brothers is expected to be called to the witness stand by their defence counsel, Winnie Christians, today to give evidence in a trial within a trial that has occupied their trial for the past two weeks. The trial within a trial is meant to determine if statements that the two brothers allegedly made to Police officers between the evening of March 6 2005, when they were arrested at their home at Rehoboth, and March 9 2005, when they made a first court appearance at Mariental, had been made freely and voluntarily and could thus be admitted as evidence in their trial.Christians has informed Judge President Petrus Damaseb that those statements were made by the brothers after they had been severely assaulted and intimidated by Police officers.A succession of Police officers have over the past two weeks denied this.The two brothers are on trial with a fellow Rehoboth area resident, Stoney Neidel, and Justus Christian (‘Shorty’) Erasmus, whose parents were among the eight people killed at farm Kareeboomvloer between Rehoboth and Kalkrand between March 4 and 5 2005.In the indictment that the four charged men are facing it is alleged that Erasmus had conspired with Sylvester Beukes to have his parents – and also his sister, Yolande Erasmus – murdered.All four accused pleaded not guilty to eight counts of murder and a further six charges at the start of the trial on March 1 his year.The ball bounced into Christians’s court when Deputy Prosecutor General Antonia Verhoef, who is representing the State, yesterday closed the State’s case in the trial within a trial.The last witness that testified for the prosecution in the side hearing was Police Warrant Officer Christopher Munyika.Using a video camera, he filmed events that took place at the Beukes brothers’ home at Rehoboth when the Police visited the residence on the evening of March 6 2005, and also filmed a visit later that night to the farm where Neidel was living west of Rehoboth.The video material filmed by Munyika was again showed in court yesterday.At farm Areb, where Neidel stayed and a large quantity of items allegedly stolen from Kareeboomvloer, including livestock, after the eightfold killings is claimed to have been found by the Police, Neidel could be seen explaining to Police officers how the items had ended up at the farm.The Beukes brothers had approached him two months earlier already to ask if they could bring livestock to the farm, Neidel could be seen relating to the Policemen questioning him.Gavin Beukes did most of the speaking, Neidel indicated.He said the brothers told him that they had inherited the animals that they wanted to bring to the farm.When they finally arrived at the farm with a host of goods that they offloaded at the farm, Neidel said, he was somewhat astonished, as he knew that the brothers were not earning large salaries.He suspected that the items left at the farm might be stolen, and his plan was to have a “serious talk” with the brothers if they were to visit the farm again, Munyika’s filmed material showed Neidel saying.He could also be heard telling the Police officers that when the brothers arrived at the farm to offload the livestock and other items that they had with them – including two rifles and a range of foodstuff – they seemed to be in a jolly mood.They seemed to be glad to have arrived at the farm and to have offloaded the goods there, Neidel said.The trial within a trial is meant to determine if statements that the two brothers allegedly made to Police officers between the evening of March 6 2005, when they were arrested at their home at Rehoboth, and March 9 2005, when they made a first court appearance at Mariental, had been made freely and voluntarily and could thus be admitted as evidence in their trial.Christians has informed Judge President Petrus Damaseb that those statements were made by the brothers after they had been severely assaulted and intimidated by Police officers.A succession of Police officers have over the past two weeks denied this. The two brothers are on trial with a fellow Rehoboth area resident, Stoney Neidel, and Justus Christian (‘Shorty’) Erasmus, whose parents were among the eight people killed at farm Kareeboomvloer between Rehoboth and Kalkrand between March 4 and 5 2005.In the indictment that the four charged men are facing it is alleged that Erasmus had conspired with Sylvester Beukes to have his parents – and also his sister, Yolande Erasmus – murdered.All four accused pleaded not guilty to eight counts of murder and a further six charges at the start of the trial on March 1 his year.The ball bounced into Christians’s court when Deputy Prosecutor General Antonia Verhoef, who is representing the State, yesterday closed the State’s case in the trial within a trial.The last witness that testified for the prosecution in the side hearing was Police Warrant Officer Christopher Munyika.Using a video camera, he filmed events that took place at the Beukes brothers’ home at Rehoboth when the Police visited the residence on the evening of March 6 2005, and also filmed a visit later that night to the farm where Neidel was living west of Rehoboth.The video material filmed by Munyika was again showed in court yesterday.At farm Areb, where Neidel stayed and a large quantity of items allegedly stolen from Kareeboomvloer, including livestock, after the eightfold killings is claimed to have been found by the Police, Neidel could be seen explaining to Police officers how the items had ended up at the farm.The Beukes brothers had approached him two months earlier already to ask if they could bring livestock to the farm, Neidel could be seen relating to the Policemen questioning him.Gavin Beukes did most of the speaking, Neidel indicated.He said the brothers told him that they had inherited the animals that they wanted to bring to the farm.When they finally arrived at the farm with a host of goods that they offloaded at the farm, Neidel said, he was somewhat astonished, as he knew that the brothers were not earning large salaries.He suspected that the items left at the farm might be stolen, and his plan was to have a “serious talk” with the brothers if they were to visit the farm again, Munyika’s filmed material showed Neidel saying.He could also be heard telling the Police officers that when the brothers arrived at the farm to offload the livestock and other items that they had with them – including two rifles and a range of foodstuff – they seemed to be in a jolly mood.They seemed to be glad to have arrived at the farm and to have offloaded the goods there, Neidel said.