Maria Amakali
Windhoek-The Katutura Magistrate’s Court postponed the heads of argument in the case of Simon Tjooya, who stands accused of killing a man over a bottle of brandy.
Tjooya is on trial on a charge of murder and two charges of theft for what the prosecution deems the unlawful and intentional killing of Issy Swartz.
Swartz died from a stab wound on November 03, 2012 at Goreangab informal settlement, in Windhoek.
Tjooya’s case was on the roll for submission before judgement – however, the state could not proceed as the prosecutor was not available due to medical reasons.
Making a brief appearance in court on Wednesday on bail of N$300, Tjooya was informed that his case would only proceed next year. Tjooya was arrested in 2012 following the death of Swartz who was discovered with a stab wound in the chest.
It was revealed during the trial that Tjooya robbed Swartz of his bottle of Richelieu brandy before stabbing him.
Tjooya pleaded not guilty to the charges, with his defence team arguing that no witnesses saw Tjooya stabbing Swartz.
However, one of the witnesses, who was in Tjooya’s company on the day in question, informed the court that Tjooya confessed to the stabbing moments after the incident.
The witness indicated that they followed Swartz into a shack. Although he did not enter the shack, Tjooya came out of the shack holding a bottle of Richelieu and a knife dripping of blood.
It is alleged that after the robbery Tjooya and the witness went to a sheeben to drink the brandy they stole from Swartz.
Magistrate Alexis Diergaardt postponed the matter for submissions to January 25, 2018, warning Tjooya to make an appearance in court as scheduled.