Treason trial document speaks

“D-DAY – Monday morning.H-Hour – 2h00.”

So states an entry written on two pieces of paper that are claimed to have been found in a bag with one of the alleged secessionist attackers who was shot dead inside the Mpacha military base on the morning of August 2 1999. This is according to the most recent piece of documentary evidence to be provisionally admitted as evidence in the main Caprivi high treason trial in the High Court in Windhoek.The two documents also list the names of people suspected of taking part in the separatist attacks at Katima Mulilo on that day, a senior Namibia Defence Force officer testified in the trial this week.One of the documents claimed to have been recovered from that bag was a letter apparently addressed to Bennet Mutuso, one of the 119 men on trial before Judge Elton Hoff.This document, which also contains a list of nine names, a list of places in the Caprivi Region – of which some were the scenes of attacks on August 2 1999 – and that cryptic note appearing to indicate the planned starting day and time for the attacks, on Wednesday provisionally became part of the evidence that has been amassing in the trial.The two documents were found in a bag lying with a man who had been shot dead in the Mpacha military base near Katima Mulilo early on the morning of August 2 1999, Lieutenant Colonel Johny Shapaka told Judge Hoff.Shapaka, the 80th prosecution witness to testify, still held the rank of a Major and was acting as the officer in command of the Mpacha base at the time of the attack, he told the court.Shapaka said that at about 02h00 on August 2 1999 he heard an explosion in the base.He soon received reports that “strange people” were shooting at the soldiers, he said.He also received a report from soldiers that two men were lying dead under a tree in the base.A mortar launcher and three mortar shells was next to them.At another place in the camp, Shapaka said, he saw another person, dressed in civilian clothes, lying dead.A gun lay next to him.The bag in which the documents and also a flag – made up of a triangular black part on the one side and four horizontal lines in blue, white, red and green – were allegedly found, appears to have been with this man.According to Shapaka, soldiers also reported that some “rebels” had been captured inside the base.He named them as Raphael Lifumbela, Silvester Ngalaule, Musheba Mwiya and Chris Ntaba.The four are among the 119 men on trial before Judge Hoff.According to Shapaka, the documents that were found contained “deployment lists” stating the names of people assigned to take part in attacks at various targets that night – including at Mpacha, the Katounyana Special Field Force Base, and at Katima Mulilo itself.On the one document, 54 names are listed.The other document contains nine names – but one side of this piece of paper, contains a letter starting with the salutation “Hallow Benny”.On the other side is what appears to be the name of the person to whom that letter had been addressed: “Mr B.Mutuso Mutuso”.Bennet Mutuso is also one of the 119 men accused.Judge Hoff has recently been hearing testimony in which State witnesses who said they were part of an armed group sent to attack Mpacha claimed they had seen Bennet Mutuso cut the boundary fence of the base to give the attackers access to its premises.Part of the letter, dated 09/03/1999, on one side of the document that Shapaka handed to the court, reads: “Brother don’t worry about the situation now hold your heart till tomorrow.Remember about Saraffina’s song ‘Freedom is coming tomorrow.’ “So don’t be discouraged because the Lord God who brought you here will protect us.And God knows our purpose to be here and he will not leave us in the dark.”About those informers, they will have to regrate one day, they will be sorry in future.”(sic) On the other side, next to a part where B.Mutuso Mutuso’s name had been written, is a list of nine names, and then this: “Assembling Point (Mashekezida) and (Kena)”, and “D-Day Monday morning”, with a line having been drawn through a “Sunday” that had been written before the “Monday”.It then stated: “H-Hour – 2h00”.Indeed, August 2 1999 fell on a Monday.This is according to the most recent piece of documentary evidence to be provisionally admitted as evidence in the main Caprivi high treason trial in the High Court in Windhoek.The two documents also list the names of people suspected of taking part in the separatist attacks at Katima Mulilo on that day, a senior Namibia Defence Force officer testified in the trial this week.One of the documents claimed to have been recovered from that bag was a letter apparently addressed to Bennet Mutuso, one of the 119 men on trial before Judge Elton Hoff.This document, which also contains a list of nine names, a list of places in the Caprivi Region – of which some were the scenes of attacks on August 2 1999 – and that cryptic note appearing to indicate the planned starting day and time for the attacks, on Wednesday provisionally became part of the evidence that has been amassing in the trial.The two documents were found in a bag lying with a man who had been shot dead in the Mpacha military base near Katima Mulilo early on the morning of August 2 1999, Lieutenant Colonel Johny Shapaka told Judge Hoff.Shapaka, the 80th prosecution witness to testify, still held the rank of a Major and was acting as the officer in command of the Mpacha base at the time of the attack, he told the court.Shapaka said that at about 02h00 on August 2 1999 he heard an explosion in the base.He soon received reports that “strange people” were shooting at the soldiers, he said.He also received a report from soldiers that two men were lying dead under a tree in the base.A mortar launcher and three mortar shells was next to them.At another place in the camp, Shapaka said, he saw another person, dressed in civilian clothes, lying dead.A gun lay next to him.The bag in which the documents and also a flag – made up of a triangular black part on the one side and four horizontal lines in blue, white, red and green – were allegedly found, appears to have been with this man.According to Shapaka, soldiers also reported that some “rebels” had been captured inside the base.He named them as Raphael Lifumbela, Silvester Ngalaule, Musheba Mwiya and Chris Ntaba.The four are among the 119 men on trial before Judge Hoff.According to Shapaka, the documents that were found contained “deployment lists” stating the names of people assigned to take part in attacks at various targets that night – including at Mpacha, the Katounyana Special Field Force Base, and at Katima Mulilo itself.On the one document, 54 names are listed.The other document contains nine names – but one side of this piece of paper, contains a letter starting with the salutation “Hallow Benny”.On the other side is what appears to be the name of the person to whom that letter had been addressed: “Mr B.Mutuso Mutuso”.Bennet Mutuso is also one of the 119 men accused.Judge Hoff has recently been hearing testimony in which State witnesses who said they were part of an armed group sent to attack Mpacha claimed they had seen Bennet Mutuso cut the boundary fence of the base to give the attackers access to its premises.Part of the letter, dated 09/03/1999, on one side of the document that Shapaka handed to the court, reads: “Brother don’t worry about the situation now hold your heart till tomorrow.Remember about Saraffina’s song ‘Freedom is coming tomorrow.’ “So don’t be discouraged because the Lord God who brought you here will protect us.And God knows our purpose to be here and he will not leave us in the dark.”About those informers, they will have to regrate one day, they will be sorry in future.”(sic) On the other side, next to a part where B.Mutuso Mutuso’s name had been written, is a list of nine names, and then this: “Assembling Point (Mashekezida) and (Kena)”, and “D-Day Monday morning”, with a line having been drawn through a “Sunday” that had been written before the “Monday”.It then stated: “H-Hour – 2h00”.Indeed, August 2 1999 fell on a Monday.