Second treason group in first High Court appearance

ELEVEN men who are set to be tried in the second high treason trial flowing from the alleged activities of a secessionist movement in the Caprivi Region, made their first appearance in the High Court in Windhoek yesterday.

The 11 are part of a group of 12 high treason accused, who had to attend a first pre-trial hearing in the High Court yesterday. One from their ranks, Vincent Liswaniso Siliye, was absent, though.Judge Annel Silungwe, who presided at the pre-trial appearance, was told by Deputy Prosecutor General Danie Small that Siliye was ill and could not travel to attend the proceedings.The proceedings were relatively brief, with Small doing most of the talking as he explained to the Judge why he was asking for the case of the twelve to be postponed for another month.They are now scheduled to attend another pre-trial hearing in the High Court in Windhoek on July 14.Small explained that the Legal Aid Directorate defence counsel who appeared in court on behalf of the 12 yesterday, Patience Daringo, would not be representing them at their actual trial.He said there still had to be a proper screening of the accused and consultations with them in order to eliminate the possibility of conflicts of interests arising between suspects represented by the same counsel, before defence lawyers who would represent them at their trial could be appointed.Small gave an undertaking that the indictment that the twelve would be facing at their trial, as well as evidence that is to be disclosed to them, would be handed to the defence by June 30.The 12 accused were arrested years after the arrests of the vast majority of the 107 high treason suspects who remain before the High Court at Grootfontein in the long-pending high treason case that is now scheduled to return to court on August 9.Five of the twelve – Alex Mafwila Liswani, Frederick Isaka Ntambilwa, John Tembwe Mazila, Hoster Simasiku Ntombo, and Boster Mubuyeta Samwele – were taken into custody on three separate occasions from July to December 2002.Two of them, Samwele and Mafwila, were arrested in Namibia in December 2002 after the Botswana authorities had handed them over to their Namibian counterparts.After a similar handover – again by the Botswana authorities to their Namibian counterparts – the other seven accused were arrested in December last year.Prior to that handover those seven had been given asylum in Botswana, but this was revoked with the explanation that the seven had transgressed the conditions attached to the asylum that they had received by returning to Namibia illegally in the course of their stay in Botswana.The seven are Siliye, who was absent from yesterday’s court appearance, and Progress Kenyoka Munuma, Samulandela Shine Samulandela, Manuel Manepelo Makendano, Vincent Kashu Sinasi, Alex Sinjabata Mushakwa and Salufu Diamond Samunzala.Judge Silungwe remanded all of the 12 in custody until their return to court in a month’s time.One from their ranks, Vincent Liswaniso Siliye, was absent, though.Judge Annel Silungwe, who presided at the pre-trial appearance, was told by Deputy Prosecutor General Danie Small that Siliye was ill and could not travel to attend the proceedings.The proceedings were relatively brief, with Small doing most of the talking as he explained to the Judge why he was asking for the case of the twelve to be postponed for another month.They are now scheduled to attend another pre-trial hearing in the High Court in Windhoek on July 14.Small explained that the Legal Aid Directorate defence counsel who appeared in court on behalf of the 12 yesterday, Patience Daringo, would not be representing them at their actual trial.He said there still had to be a proper screening of the accused and consultations with them in order to eliminate the possibility of conflicts of interests arising between suspects represented by the same counsel, before defence lawyers who would represent them at their trial could be appointed.Small gave an undertaking that the indictment that the twelve would be facing at their trial, as well as evidence that is to be disclosed to them, would be handed to the defence by June 30.The 12 accused were arrested years after the arrests of the vast majority of the 107 high treason suspects who remain before the High Court at Grootfontein in the long-pending high treason case that is now scheduled to return to court on August 9.Five of the twelve – Alex Mafwila Liswani, Frederick Isaka Ntambilwa, John Tembwe Mazila, Hoster Simasiku Ntombo, and Boster Mubuyeta Samwele – were taken into custody on three separate occasions from July to December 2002.Two of them, Samwele and Mafwila, were arrested in Namibia in December 2002 after the Botswana authorities had handed them over to their Namibian counterparts.After a similar handover – again by the Botswana authorities to their Namibian counterparts – the other seven accused were arrested in December last year.Prior to that handover those seven had been given asylum in Botswana, but this was revoked with the explanation that the seven had transgressed the conditions attached to the asylum that they had received by returning to Namibia illegally in the course of their stay in Botswana.The seven are Siliye, who was absent from yesterday’s court appearance, and Progress Kenyoka Munuma, Samulandela Shine Samulandela, Manuel Manepelo Makendano, Vincent Kashu Sinasi, Alex Sinjabata Mushakwa and Salufu Diamond Samunzala.Judge Silungwe remanded all of the 12 in custody until their return to court in a month’s time.