One of the six men, accused of murdering the former governor of the Omusati region, has withdrawn his application to be granted bail.
Maria Amupolo, the lawyer representing Willem Nakale, told the court they are cancelling the bail application. She did not give the reasons, stating that such reasons will be discussed during trial this week.
Meanwhile, family and friends of the late Leonard Nangolo Mukwiilongo last week petitioned the Oshakati High Court, objecting to the granting of bail to all six accused.
Mukwiilongo died on 25 May 2017 in a northern hospital at the age of 93, following an attack by a gang of alleged thieves at his house in the Elim village of Omusati.
Apart from Nakale, other accused are Stefanus Namapula (38), Tomas Amwele (39), Abraham Shipena (30), Hafeni Jerome (35) and Evalistus Shilongo (32).
They stand accused of murder, robbery, as well as possession of illegal arms and ammunition.
In 2019, the accused pleaded not guilty, denying they had killed the former governor.
One of Mukwiilongo’s grandchildren, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they want justice for their grandfather.
“We are hurt as a family; these thieves should not be granted bail. We lost our grandfather forever,” she stressed.
She added that at the time of his death, he owned various shops, including Oshikuku and Cash Today at his home village – and most of them depended on him.
“He took care of everyone, and he was always ready to attend to family problems. Those of us who were close to him learnt a lot from him, especially about business and politics,” she said.
Mukwiilongo was also a well-known figure in the liberation struggle.
In 1992, he became the first governor of the Omusati region, a position he held until 1998.
He was also the councillor of Elim constituency between 1998 and 2004.
– vkaapanda@nepc.com.na