State wants forfeiture of Caprivi ‘witchcraft material’

The 30 men convicted in the long-running Caprivi high treason trial have until this coming Monday to indicate whether they will oppose an application by the State that they forfeit a list of items, including “witchcraft material”, firearms, ammunition and T-shirts with logos promoting secession from Namibia. The items the State wants the accused to forfeit include a ring made from snake skin, a small piece of brown wood, a dark red clay pot containing traditional medicine and a plastic container with dried herbs in it, which the State believes was used to perform witchcraft. State prosecutor Taswald July has applied for the forfeiture of the items, which have provisionally been forfeited. The 30 accused have been found guilty of high treason, nine charges of murder and and 90 counts of attempted murder. The accused have been standing trial for over a decade, together with others who have since died or who have been discharged or have been found not guilty. They faced a total of 278 charges after launching armed attacks on government installations in the then Caprivi Region on August 3, 1999. This was in a bid to secede the region from Namibia. The State and the defence counsels have already presented arguments in aggravation and mitigation of sentence. A court ruling on whether some of the State witnesses will be given immunity from prosecution is also still outstanding. A total of 11 witnesses, who testified during the marathon treason trial and whose names and photographs may not be published, have requested the court to grant them immunity from prosecution. Among the other items the State wants the 30 convicted treason accused to forfeit is food, groceries, toiletries, duvets, blankets and clothing, including army and police uniforms. Also among the items is a pistol allegedly owned by Mishake Muyongo, the fugitive leader of the Caprivi rebellion. Judge Elton Hoff postponed the matter until Monday FRED GOEIEMAN