Five Namibian men, charged with the murder of a Zimbabwean street trader at Otjiwarongo in June, have all been granted bail after more than two months in police custody.
Three of the accused men – supermarket employee Roberto Katjinamunene and security guards Kefas Kuutondokwa and Hendrik Simapureni – were granted bail of N$3 000 each with an appearance in the Otjiwarongo Magistrate’s Court on Monday last week.
On Friday, magistrate Karel Muyeghu also gave bail to the remaining two accused – Jandré Jansen van Vuuren and Jonathan Myburgh – following the hearing of a bail application by the two men.
Myburgh, who is the owner of a security company at Otjiwarongo, and Van Vuuren, who is employed by the security company, were released on bail of N$5 000 each.
The five men are charged with murder in connection with the death of a Zimbabwean street trader, Hlalisanani Zhou, at Otjiwarongo on 3 June.
Zhou (43) was found lying injured in a street at the town and died after he had been taken to a hospital. It is alleged that he had been fatally injured in an assault.
The police reported at the time of the incident that Zhou was allegedly accused of having stolen a bottle of glue from a shop at the town, and that he was assaulted in a room at the shop before he was left outside in the street.
Following their release on bail, Katjinamunene, Kuutondokwa and Simapureni have to report to the police at Otjiwarongo every Monday and Friday.
Myburgh and Van Vuuren were ordered to surrender their travel documents to the police officer in charge of the investigation of their case, may not leave Otjiwarongo without informing the investigating officer, and are required to report to the police at the town on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
The case has been postponed to 10 November for further investigations to be carried out in the meantime.
Defence lawyers Johan van Vuuren and Jan Wessels represented Van Vuuren and Myburgh, respectively, during their bail hearing. Public prosecutor Kamudulunge-Joas Neemwatya represented the state.
