WINDHOEK – One of the Special Reserve Force police officers sent to the former Caprivi Region, now called Zambezi, on Monday testified how they laid ambushes for suspected rebels still roaming the area after the attacks on August 2, 1999 in Katima Mulilo.
The local police station, military base, field force base, border posts and the NBC offices were targeted in the attack.
Petrus Itula Shanyengange informed Windhoek High Court Acting Judge Petrus Unengu at the High Court at the Windhoek Correctional Facility that during the night of July 18, 2012 he and three colleagues set up an ambush near Katima Mulilo and encountered two men that morning at about 03h00.
According to him, they stopped the men and introduced themselves as police officers and asked them where they were coming from and where they were going.
He further said that one of the men, whom he said identified himself as Frederick Mangalazi, told them they were coming from Dukwe and were on their way to the police at Katima Mulilo to hand themselves over as they were tired of living in the bush.
He went on to say that they then asked for permission to search the bags of the persons and found two full AK-47 assault rifle magazines (30 live rounds in each) in one of the bags as well as khaki uniforms.
When asked where they got the items in question, the men told them from a certain Makendano who works at the Katima Mulilo hospital, the officer told the court.
Makendano is one of the accused in the current matter.
The officer said they were also told about a third man who went to the “location” as he was feeling ill and when they went there they found another pair of uniforms plus military-type boots among his luggage.
The witness was testifying in the trial of eight men still facing charges of high treason, murder, attempted murder, sedition, public violence, and illegal importation of weapons and ammunition.
Progress Kenyoka Munuma, 58, Shine Samulandela, 52, Manuel Manepelo Makendano, 66, Alex Sinjabata Mushakwa, 55, Diamond Samunzala Salufu, 58, Hoster Simasiku Ntombo, 55, Frederick Isaka Ntambila, 54, and John Mazila Tembwe, 51, remain in the accused dock after the Supreme Court directed in July 2013 that their trial start afresh before a new judge after a successful appeal against their conviction and sentences.
They were first convicted and sentenced to jail terms ranging from 30 to 32 years by the late justice John Manyarara in 2007.
Their convictions and sentences were however set aside by the Supreme Court on appeal.
The eight accused, arrested between July 2002 and December 2003, have been in custody for the past 17 years.
They are accused of taking part in a conspiracy aimed at overthrowing the Namibian government in the former Caprivi Region between September 1998 and December 2003.
They lost a special plea they lodged against the jurisdiction of the High Court to try them as they claimed the former Caprivi Strip, now the Zambezi Region, was never part of Namibia.
The case continues today.
Ilse Aggenbach and Jorg Neves are on record for the accused.
The state is represented by Advocate Laurens Campher.