WINDHOEK – The State-funded lawyer for one of the four men accused of killing renowned stock theft investigator, Hiambepo ‘Major’ Kazeurua, was a no-show at a pre-trial hearing to clarify certain issues and set a trial date yesterday.
Various efforts by his fellow defence counsels to reach him proved fruitless – as his cellphone was unreachable and even a call to the offices of the Legal Aid Directorate did not yield the desired results.
Judge Christi Liebenberg ordered that the lawyer, Bronell Uirab, must file an affidavit by 8 October to explain his absence from a scheduled appearance and ordered that Uirab be served with the order.
A clearly frustrated Judge Liebenberg, who moments before lambasted Bradley Basson for being late, said he would not be held hostage by lawyers. The case was postponed to 29 October for another pre-trial hearing to clarify certain points in Uirab’s reply to the State’s pre-trial memorandum and for the fixing of a trial date.
During the discussions in court yesterday it emerged that a trial-within-a-trial might be necessary as there are some issues in dispute.
Stockley Kavejao, 40, Matheu Kakururume, 29, Muvare Kaporo, 25, and Afas Kamutjemo, 38, face charges of murder, stock theft and defeating or attempting to defeat or obstruct the course of justice.
The accused are all alleged to have taken part in the gruesome murder and mutilation of Kazeurua whose partly burned body was found in an aardvark burrow on 7 January, after being reported missing for days earlier.
According to the indictment the accused conspired to kill Kazeurua to prevent him from tracing cattle they had stolen and Kaporo and Kakururume ambushed him and killed him by strangling him and throwing sand in his mouth to prevent him from breathing.
This happened on 28 December, 2012.
It is further alleged that the accused defeated or obstructed the course of justice or attempted to defeat or obstruct the course of justice when they burned the vehicle of the deceased, burned and buried the body of the deceased, gave money to Kaporo and Kakururume to leave the district of Gobabis after the death of the deceased and the theft of the cattle, burnt, destroyed or otherwise disposed of the ear tags of the cattle, kept the stolen cattle on Farm Groot Ums and/or mixed the stolen cattle with other cattle kept at farm Groot Ums and attempted to brand the stolen cattle with the registered brand mark of Kamutjemo.
Kavejao, Kakururume, Kaporo remain in custody while Kamutjemo is out on bail.
Kavejao is represented by Advocate Slysken Makando, Kakururume by Bronell Uirab and Kaporo by Monty Karuaihe while Jan Wessels will defend Kamutjemo.