Roland Routh
Windhoek-The trial of a former police constable accused of stabbing his two sons to death in a fit of jealous rage over suspicious text messages on their mother’s cellphone is nearing its end. This after the state prosecutor indicated he will close the State’s case at the next court date.
State Advocate Palmer Khumalo informed High Court Judge Dinah Usiku that he is only waiting for the transcribed phone records to be translated into English for him to submit it as exhibits before he closes the State’s case. Currently the records are all in Afrikaans.
On the records are the text messages that Albertus Ganeb, 31, allegedly sent to Romilly Swartz, the mother of the slain boys, where he told her that he had killed the boys.
The bodies of the boys, seven-year-old Romeo Swartz and four-year-old Gregory Swartz were found by police officers in a blood-spattered crime scene on the evening of April 25, 2014 at Ganeb’s house in Gobabis when they went to talk to him after receiving a complaint about threatening text messages he had sent.
Romeo was found dead in the living room with four stab wounds to the head, while Gregory was found still alive in a bedroom with at least six stab wounds on his body and head. The child died six days later in hospital.
Ganeb faces two murder counts for the murder of his sons and two additional charges of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm for reportedly assaulting the mother of the deceased boys once in October 2013 and again in 2014.
He denied all charges at the start of his trial and claimed he was so intoxicated at the time that he cannot remember anything.
Yesterday, Boris Isaacks representing Ganeb on the instructions of legal aid, also informed the court he was not ready to proceed with the defense’s case, as he needed more time to read through the trial records and to prepare Ganeb to testify on his own behalf. He welcomed the postponement.
Judge Usiku agreed to the postponement and remanded the matter to December 4 and 5 for Ganeb’s testimony and cross-examination and then to December 12 for submissions on the verdict.