Windhoek
Four of the seven ‘struggle kids’ arrested for allegedly attacking and injuring long-distance bus driver Likius Nanghalu on Sunday appeared in court yesterday on charges of assault and robbery. The quartet was denied bail.
Three members of the group initially arrested were released after police found no substantial evidence linking them to the physical attack on Nanghalu.
According to the charge sheet the group assaulted Nanghalu and stole a wallet containing his money as well as clothes, bedding and blankets amounting to over N$15 000.
Magistrate Desire Umunani Kamboua told the group that the State objected to bail as the charges are serious and because investigations were still being conducted. All four accused – Paulus Hamutenya Hailonga, Johannes Kalenga, Ruben Amon and Tobias Andima – told the court they would apply for the services of government-funded defence lawyers through legal aid. Magistrate Kamboua told the quartet that they can lodge a formal bail application. The case was postponed to May 17.
The Khomas Police regional crime investigation coordinator, Deputy Commissioner Silvanus Nghishidimbwa, explained that after screening the accused on Sunday only four could be linked to the crime.
Meanwhile, the group is accusing former group leader Martin Natangwe Negumbo of instigating group members to commit violence.
However, Negumbo denied the claims and instead accused their group mediator Nikodemus Nampweya of telling the group to misbehave so that they can get jobs quickly.
Negumbo said he stopped leading the group on December 12 when they were relocated to the Ndilimani cultural troupe farm in Brakwater.
Negumbo claimed that before the group attacked Nanghalu on Sunday, the accused went to Mix informal settlement in Brakwater demanding money from a resident in whose pick-up they loaded onions after a truck overturned recently in the area.
The vehicle owner told the group that he did not know he had to sell the onions and give the money to them as he did not ask them to load onions into his vehicle. The group then tied up the man and drank alcohol from his bar. It was from there that they went and attacked the bus driver whom they found offloading a struggle kid who had travelled from the north to the camp in Brakwater.
Meanwhile, government wants the struggle kids to return home so that they are recruited from their constituencies and respective regions instead of camping and demanding employment.
This was also announced in a meeting held on Monday between Swapo secretary general Nangolo Mbumba, a ministry of youth representative and former struggle kid leader Negumbo.
“It has always been the government’s position that the children return home to their constituencies and respective regions and when the programme comes up for recruitment they will be reached through their councillors and governors,” Mbumba told New Era yesterday.
At the meeting Mbumba also informed Nikodemus Nampweya, the mediator between the struggle kids and the party, to cease his involvement with immediate effect.
The same group physically attacked Namibian Exile Kids Association (Neka) members at an information sharing meeting in November last year and beat up a Brakwater plot owner earlier this year.