Farm robbery suspects denied bail

THREE men accused of carrying out a violent farm robbery in which an elderly couple was badly assaulted in the Gobabis area almost two years ago remain guests of the Namibian Prison Service after they failed this week with an attempt to be released on bail.

Magistrate Dinnah Usiku sent farm robbery suspects Reinholdt Katamelo (40), Hijangura Wilfried Siririka (33) and Lesley Molelekeng (25) back where they had come from – that is, to a cell for trial-awaiting prisoners – as their bail application came to an end in the Windhoek Regional Court on Monday. It would not be in the public interest if the three, who are facing serious charges, were released on bail, the Magistrate said.The trial of the three accused men and a fourth suspect, Sophia Samaana (27), is scheduled to start in the Gobabis Regional Court on October 22.They are set to face charges of robbery with aggravating circumstances and theft of a motor vehicle, while Samaana alone will face charges of illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition as well.The suspects are accused of having been involved in an armed robbery at farm Zachas, situated about 40 kilometres southeast of Gobabis, on September 7 2005.The 74-year-old owner of the farm, Gernot Reimann, and his 73-year-old wife were badly beaten up during the robbery and were tied up before their attackers left the farm in a bakkie they had stolen from the farm.Having held the Reimanns at knifepoint first, they then used the couple’s own firearms to continue with the hold-up.The robbers also stole between N$10 000 and N$15 000 in cash, three firearms and jewellery valued at about N$20 000 from the couple, Magistrate Usiku was told during the bail hearing.During the hearing, Katamelo told Magistrate Usiku that he had never even been to farm Zachas.Siririka told her that he is a reborn Christian.He believes that God has forgiven him and he has also asked to be forgiven by the people he had wronged, he said.Like Katamelo, Molelekeng also denied having been at Zachas at the time of the attack.”I was not at the scene at all,” he said.About claims that his stepmother had given the Police information that might implicate him in the crime, his response was short and not at all sweet: “She’s lying.”Molelekeng did not want to answer questions from Public Prosecutor Brownwell Uirab about claims that a .22 pistol stolen during the robbery was found at the house of Samaana, who is Molelekeng’s girlfriend.Police Sergeant Gawie Jantjies, who investigated the robbery, told the Magistrate that he found three sets of fresh footprints leading to the Reimanns’ farmhouse.These tracks were followed the day after the attack, and it was found that they had come from a nearby farm, Tsjaka, which is about 13 km away from Zachas, he said.At a cattle post at Tsjaka, someone told him that he had seen Katamelo, Molelekeng and another man passing by there in the direction of Zachas the day before, Jantjies said.The tracks led to a collection of houses on Tsjaka, Jantjies said.At one of these houses, where Katamelo’s girlfriend lived, he found Katamelo hiding under a bed, he told the court.Without being told what the Police were there for, an “arrogant and aggressive” Katamelo according to Jantjies blurted out to him: “I was not involved in that case you are investigating.”Siririka was arrested at Gobabis that day.Like Katamelo, he also immediately protested his innocence, Jantjies said.Back at Tsjaka, Molelekeng was found at his girlfriend’s house on the evening of September 8 2005, and was also arrested, Jantjies said.The day after that, the girlfriend’s room was searched a second time, and a .22 pistol was found hidden under a cupboard.Mr Reimann, who has since died, identified the gun as one of the firearms that were stolen from him, Jantjies said.The Police also recovered jewellery that Mrs Reimann identified as some of the items stolen during the robbery.Jantjies said, according to prospective State witnesses, this jewellery had been handed to them by Molelekeng.It would not be in the public interest if the three, who are facing serious charges, were released on bail, the Magistrate said.The trial of the three accused men and a fourth suspect, Sophia Samaana (27), is scheduled to start in the Gobabis Regional Court on October 22.They are set to face charges of robbery with aggravating circumstances and theft of a motor vehicle, while Samaana alone will face charges of illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition as well.The suspects are accused of having been involved in an armed robbery at farm Zachas, situated about 40 kilometres southeast of Gobabis, on September 7 2005.The 74-year-old owner of the farm, Gernot Reimann, and his 73-year-old wife were badly beaten up during the robbery and were tied up before their attackers left the farm in a bakkie they had stolen from the farm.Having held the Reimanns at knifepoint first, they then used the couple’s own firearms to continue with the hold-up.The robbers also stole between N$10 000 and N$15 000 in cash, three firearms and jewellery valued at about N$20 000 from the couple, Magistrate Usiku was told during the bail hearing.During the hearing, Katamelo told Magistrate Usiku that he had never even been to farm Zachas.Siririka told her that he is a reborn Christian.He believes that God has forgiven him and he has also asked to be forgiven by the people he had wronged, he said.Like Katamelo, Molelekeng also denied having been at Zachas at the time of the attack.”I was not at the scene at all,” he said.About claims that his stepmother had given the Police information that might implicate him in the crime, his response was short and not at all sweet: “She’s lying.”Molelekeng did not want to answer questions from Public Prosecutor Brownwell Uirab about claims that a .22 pistol stolen during the robbery was found at the house of Samaana, who is Molelekeng’s girlfriend.Police Sergeant Gawie Jantjies, who investigated the robbery, told the Magistrate that he found three sets of fresh footprints leading to the Reimanns’ farmhouse.These tracks were followed the day after the attack, and it was found that they had come from a nearby farm, Tsjaka, which is about 13 km away from Zachas, he said.At a cattle post at Tsjaka, someone told him that he had seen Katamelo, Molelekeng and another man passing by there in the direction of Zachas the day before, Jantjies said.The tracks led to a collection of houses on Tsjaka, Jantjies said.At one of these houses, where Katamelo’s girlfriend lived, he found Katamelo hiding under a bed, he told the court.Without being told what the Police were there for, an “arrogant and aggressive” Katamelo according to Jantjies blurted out to him: “I was not involved in that case you are investigating.”Siririka was arrested at Gobabis that day.Like Katamelo, he also immediately protested his innocence, Jantjies said.Back at Tsjaka, Molelekeng was found at his girlfriend’s house on the evening of September 8 2005, and was also arrested, Jantjies said.The day after that, the girlfriend’s room was searched a second time, and a .22 pistol was found hidden under a cupboard.Mr Reimann, who has since died, identified the gun as one of the firearms that were stolen from him, Jantjies said.The Police also recovered jewellery that Mrs Reimann identified as some of the items stolen during the robbery.Jantjies said, according to prospective State witnesses, this jewellery had been handed to them by Molelekeng.