By Surihe Gaomas
GROOTFONTEIN
In what turned out to be a hide-and-seek game between police and journalists, a murder suspect was kept away from cameras during his first appearance at the Grootfontein Magistrates’ Court yesterday afternoon.
The “abrupt treatment” dashed journalists’ efforts to get a photograph of the suspect in a case of one of the most gruesome murders in the country that has left the public with a lot of questions regarding the victim and perpetrator alike.
Kenyan male nurse, Kenneth Bunge Orina, 34, appeared in court at 14h00 in connection with the murder of a woman whose body parts were discovered at Grootfontein on September 17.
When New Era and Windhoek Observer journalists arrived in Grootfontein yesterday afternoon, all four doors and windows of the courtroom were locked and no court or police official could reveal the whereabouts of the suspect. The place looked deserted, in direct contrast to the high public interest that the journalists had expected.
After about 10 minutes Orina was brought out of court and quickly whisked away and driven off in a dark blue Toyota sedan vehicle, without giving photographers a chance to take pictures.
A stolen glimpse showed the suspect as fair in complexion, of average height and in handcuffs, before he was bundled into the car, leaving the journalists open-mouthed and empty-handed.
A control prosecutor informed the journalists that all the cases for the day had been concluded and there was no magistrate available at the court.
Neither the public nor court employees knew what was going on with regard to this court case, while others remained tight-lipped.
“We don’t know whether he will appear today or not,” was the only comment one could get on the ground.
Meanwhile, the Namibian Police yesterday confirmed that Orina who was arrested on October 30 in connection with the brutal dismembering of a woman’s body, made his first court appearance at the Grootfontein Magistrates’ Court yesterday afternoon.
Asked to comment on the behaviour of the police, Police Spokesperson Chief Inspector Angula Amulungu said, “I don’t know. I was not in Grootfontein. I am here in Windhoek.”
Orina is said to have been staying with his wife at Number 2 Nurses’ Home in Grootfontein until September 14 when they were seen together at a bank applying for a loan.
Preliminary investigations, according to a press release, reveal that Orina was married under customary law to his missing wife, who had filed for a restriction order for assault on July 9 at the Grootfontein Magistrate Court.
Orina has been remanded to February 14, next year, pending further investigations and to allow him to secure legal representation.
The suspect who worked at the Grootfontein State Hospital was arrested on Tuesday and soon afterwards underwent police interrogation for a confession to be taken.
Reliable sources revealed to New Era earlier that the Kenyan nurse was staying with his Kenyan wife who came to visit at the time and was staying with him in the nurses’ home in Grootfontein.
The suspect went on leave and returned without his wife, while his wife reportedly went missing in early September. The suspect was arrested at the nurses’ home on Tuesday and remains in police custody until his next court appearance.
Meanwhile, the police are again appealing to anyone with information with regard to the suspect(s) who murdered the late Melanie Jantze, Juanita Mabula, Viola Swartbooi and Sanna //Garoes to contact (061) 209 4414 or 081 127 5510.