Paulus Ngalangi and Hendrick Nghede are threatening to sue the Namibian government after their case was withdrawn by the Noordoewer Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.
Ngalangi and former police officer Nghede were accused by the state of aiding Immanuwela David, who is one of the five Namibian nationals accused of stealing foreign currencies from South African president Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm in February 2020.
The Namibian police at the time claimed David illegally crossed the river in a canoe to enter Namibia near Noordoewer.
They at the time also alleged that David was aided by Ngalangi and Nghede.
David, who is now in South African police custody following his arrest in Rustenburg late last year, was arrested by the Namibian Police in June 2020 for allegedly entering Namibia illegally.
He was found guilty of immigration violations and Covid-19 lockdown rules and was later fined N$20 000 and deported back to South Africa.
Both Nghede and Ngalangi’s lawyer, Vetumbuavi Uanivi, confirmed to The Namibian that they (Nghede and Ngalangi) are planning to sue the state.
“We were ready to continue with the case but it was withdrawn. My client wanted to prove his innocence,” says Uanivi, adding that the matter was brought to court for a plea and trial.
“We are planning to sue the state,” says Nghede, denying that they aided David to cross the river as alleged by the police.
Ngalangi and Nghede drove with David from a filling station at Noordoewer to Windhoek.
However, according to court documents, Petrus Erastus and Immanuel Thomas were found guilty of aiding David to enter Namibia and were sentenced to six month imprisonment. They paid a N$4 000 fine each.
South Africa’s Sunday World reported on Sunday that Erastus and Thomas admitted in court in August 2020 that they assisted David to enter Namibia illegally via a canoe across the Orange River and that he paid them on the South African side.
On that day, 20 August 2020, Nghede was arrested by the Namibian Police at Noordoewer.
He was charged with contravening the Immigration Control Act by helping someone to enter Namibia illegally.
Nghede’s case was postponed to 9 September 2020 for further investigation. He was granted bail of N$6 000, which he paid on that day.
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