Longer delay on cards in Bakondja’s trial

THE formerly most wanted man in Namibia, serial escapee Bakondja Katjiuongua, is set to face a further wait of more than four months before his long-interrupted trial on a host of armed robbery, kidnapping, attempted murder and escape charges will continue in the Windhoek Regional Court.

Katjiuongua (27) returned to the Windhoek Regional Court yesterday for what was supposed to be the start of the presentation of the case in his defence to the court. However, with Magistrate Gert Retief, who is presiding over the trial of Katjiuongua and two co-accused, attending a training course this week, the matter had to be postponed again.Katjiuongua and the two men who are in the dock with him, brothers James Isaacks (33) and Lawrence Isaacks (28), are now scheduled to return to court on June 20 for the continuation of their trial.The Isaacks brothers remain free on bail in the meantime.Katjiuongua is still in prison, where he is serving an effective jail term of four years that he received on May 2 last year after he was found guilty, again in the Windhoek Regional Court, on 25 counts of fraud and one charge of theft and uttering respectively.Katjiuongua was in custody on those charges when he staged the first of three escapes from Police custody on September 6 2000.He was eventually rearrested, only to escape again on October 21 2000, after which he was once more arrested, before he escaped for a third time on March 1 2001.The prosecution is charging that in the month after that third escape Katjiuongua and the Isaacks brothers went on a crime spree in which they allegedly robbed and kidnapped three taxi drivers, robbed a woman in Windhoek at gunpoint when they stole a bakkie from her, stole another car during an armed robbery, and carried out two attempted murders by firing shots at people.Katjiuongua is facing 17 charges before Magistrate Retief.Eleven of those charges are faced by him and the Isaacks brothers jointly.The three accused men have pleaded not guilty to all charges.Katjiuongua’s former defence lawyer however changed his client’s plea on the three escape charges to one of guilty after the prosecution had closed its case against the three suspects in late October 2004.Since then, the trial has been stuck in neutral, with the most recent postponements forced by the withdrawal of Katjiuongua’s lawyer in August last year.Defence lawyer Louis Karsten has now taken over Katjiuongua’s defence.The Isaackses are represented by Titus Mbaeva.Public Prosecutor Belinda Wantenaar is appearing for the State.However, with Magistrate Gert Retief, who is presiding over the trial of Katjiuongua and two co-accused, attending a training course this week, the matter had to be postponed again.Katjiuongua and the two men who are in the dock with him, brothers James Isaacks (33) and Lawrence Isaacks (28), are now scheduled to return to court on June 20 for the continuation of their trial.The Isaacks brothers remain free on bail in the meantime.Katjiuongua is still in prison, where he is serving an effective jail term of four years that he received on May 2 last year after he was found guilty, again in the Windhoek Regional Court, on 25 counts of fraud and one charge of theft and uttering respectively.Katjiuongua was in custody on those charges when he staged the first of three escapes from Police custody on September 6 2000.He was eventually rearrested, only to escape again on October 21 2000, after which he was once more arrested, before he escaped for a third time on March 1 2001.The prosecution is charging that in the month after that third escape Katjiuongua and the Isaacks brothers went on a crime spree in which they allegedly robbed and kidnapped three taxi drivers, robbed a woman in Windhoek at gunpoint when they stole a bakkie from her, stole another car during an armed robbery, and carried out two attempted murders by firing shots at people.Katjiuongua is facing 17 charges before Magistrate Retief.Eleven of those charges are faced by him and the Isaacks brothers jointly.The three accused men have pleaded not guilty to all charges.Katjiuongua’s former defence lawyer however changed his client’s plea on the three escape charges to one of guilty after the prosecution had closed its case against the three suspects in late October 2004.Since then, the trial has been stuck in neutral, with the most recent postponements forced by the withdrawal of Katjiuongua’s lawyer in August last year.Defence lawyer Louis Karsten has now taken over Katjiuongua’s defence.The Isaackses are represented by Titus Mbaeva.Public Prosecutor Belinda Wantenaar is appearing for the State.