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Operation Kalahari murder accused to be tried in September

2021-05-10  Maria Sheya

Operation Kalahari murder accused to be tried in September

Namibian Defence Force (NDF) officer, accused of shooting and murdering a 32-year-old civilian in 2019, is set to go on trial in September.

This follows the prosecutor general’s decision last month to have Mulele Darrel Nyambe stand trial on the charge of murder. 

Nyambe made his first appearance in the Windhoek Regional Court on Friday before magistrate Johannes Shuuveni, where he was informed his trial is scheduled for 1 to 3 September. This was upon the agreement between the State prosecutor Sirka Nangoro and defence lawyer Lindrowski Tibinyane from the government attorneys.

The charge of murder, to which Nyambe is expected to answer, is derived from the death of Benisius Kalola. Kalola died on 5 September 2019. 

Police reports at the time indicate Kalola was shot with an AK-47 in the back at Smarties location, a couple of metres from his family home at Single Quarters in Katutura, Windhoek. 

This happened after a hot pursuit of Kalola by armed NDF members. Kalola succumbed to his injuries at the Katutura State Hospital hours after the shooting. According to the police, Kalola was shot while members of Operation Kalahari Desert were on a search for narcotics, and a substantial amount of cannabis/dagga was recovered and three suspects were arrested. 

Kalola had two pending robbery cases registered with the police prior to being gunned down. Kalola was the second person to die at the hands of a soldier under Operation Kalahari Desert after a Zimbabwean citizen, who made a living as a taxi driver in Namibia, Fambauone Black (22), was shot dead when he allegedly tried to evade a police roadblock in Windhoek in June 2019.  For Black’s death, the police arrested NDF soldier Gerson Nakale, who is scheduled to make an appearance in court on 15 September. 

Each of the soldiers are out on N$2 000 bail. 

- mamakali@nepc.com.na


2021-05-10  Maria Sheya

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