RUNDU – The police have concluded investigations in the case in which a South African couple are accused of attempting to smuggle 12 San men out of Namibia in April this year, the police said yesterday in the Rundu Magistrate’s Court when the couple made a routine court appearance. They face a charge of human trafficking.
The court postponed the matter to February 21, 2014 to allow time for the Prosecutor-General’s decision. Magistrate Esme Molefe presided over the court proceedings, while Prosecutor Albert Titus represented the State. The couple was represented by defence lawyer Petrus Strauss of Strauss Attorneys.
The accused Piet Groenewald (52) and his fiancée Elsie Greef (42) are currently out on bail of N$100 000 each which was extended yesterday until their next appearance. Groenewald, a former South African Defence Force colonel, was arrested together with his fiancée in April after they were caught transporting 12 San men from the Bwabwata National Park. Before they were granted bail in May, the couple’s bail conditions included reporting twice a day to the police, surrendering all travel documents and were also ordered not to leave the Rundu district without the consent of the investigating officer.
In an earlier interview, Groenewald told New Era that he had no intentions to take the men out of Namibia without proper documentation. Groenewald is the managing director of an outfit known as Wildlife Investigation Protection Services in South Africa, for which the San group was going to work mainly as trackers.
By Mathias Haufiku