Iuze Mukube
A 30-year-old resident of Mariental, accused of multiple charges in relation to the death of his girlfriend, Hannelie Swartbooi (16), pleaded not guilty to all counts yesterday.
Isak Blockstaan is facing the charges of murder, rape, defeating or obstructing the course of justice or attempt thereto, and two counts of assault.
After tendering the not guilty pleas before Windhoek High Court judge Eileen Rakow, he gave a hefty plea explanation to the counts.
The indictment reads that, during the period of 2 to 3 May 2021, while Blockstaan and Swartbooi were attending a birthday party at a farm in Gibeon in the district of Mariental, the accused became angry with his then-girlfriend for allegedly refusing to take a seat next to him.
It is alleged that he assaulted her.
When the victim’s mother tried to come to her assistance, Blockstaan also assaulted her.
This sparked a fight between Blockstaan and the victim’s father.
The State alleges that during that same period, the accused, after leaving the party with the victim, assaulted her by hitting her multiple times on her body and head with a wooden stick or an iron rod or other unknown objects.
Additionally, Blockstaan allegedly undressed and committed a sexual act by inserting two stones and his private part into the victim’s private parts under coercive circumstances.
Swartbooi died due to a subdural haematoma caused by the assault on her.
It is further alleged that the accused set alight his clothes and the clothes of the victim, some of which had blood stains on it.
He did so with the intention of defeating or obstructing the course of justice.
While this is the allegations or the version of the State, Blockstaan explained otherwise.
He denied that he perpetrated the assault on the victim.
He narrated that, in the late and early hours between 2 and 3 May 2021, after leaving the birthday party with the victim, he was attacked by an unknown person or persons from behind with an unknown object to the head.
He said he lost consciousness and when regained it, he found the victim lying on the ground, naked and barely conscious, but still alive.
Blockstaan added that he proceeded to drag her to his house.
He was later assisted by the victim’s parents, who found them on the way.
The victim was cleaned up and dressed by her mother after they arrived at the accused’s house.
The following day, the accused discovered that the victim had passed away while lying on his bed.
For the second count of rape, he denied that he committed a sexual act with the victim under coercive circumstances.
He pointed to the details in the first count that he was unconscious during the incident.
Additionally, he denied that he burnt his clothes and the clothes of the deceased with intention to defeat the course of justice.
Blockstaan, however admitted that he set some of his and the victim’s clothes alight.
He said he did so to create a big enough fire so that he could jump into it and commit suicide.
For the fourth and fifth count of assault, Blockstaan denied that he assaulted either the victim or her mother at the birthday party.
He claimed that, contrary to the State’s version, he was the one attacked and assaulted by a group of people at the birthday party.
Moreover, he said that it was during this alleged attack that he sustained injuries on his back and finger.
Blockstaan is represented by Von Wielligh and the State by Karin Esterhuizen.
The matter was postponed to 25 August 2025 for trial.