Westlane armed robbery suspects to plead to charges next week

WINDHOEK, 18 JUL – A group of six foreign nationals arrested in November 2017 in connection with the armed robbery of a security guard at the Westlane Lifestyle Centre in Windhoek, are scheduled to plead to the charges against them next week.
The six accused – Kubeka Mthokozisi, Vusi David, Lukas Ndlovu, Khumalo Martin, Shane Moyo and Mguni Pumuzile – were supposed to plead to the charges on Wednesday, but could not do so because David lost legal representation following the withdrawal of his privately-instructed defence lawyer Immanuel Udjombala from the case.
Ujombala parted ways with his client on Wednesday morning some minutes before all the accused were about to enter preliminary pleas in terms of Section 119 of the Criminal Procedures Act of 1977.
The lawyer withdrew from representing accused David after the two men were unable to find a common understanding on how to proceed with the matter.
The case was, thereafter, postponed to 27 July 2018 for pleading and to allow David to apply to the Justice Ministry’s Directorate of Legal Aid for a State-funded lawyer to come and defend during future court proceedings and when trial proper begins.
The group re-appeared before Windhoek Magistrate Vanessa Stanley on Wednesday.
The six men remain in police custody at the Windhoek Central Correctional Facility with no option to post bail until 27 July 2018 for the purposes of pleading.
Privately-instructed defence lawyer Kadhila Amoomo represent the remaining five accused while Senior Public Prosecutor Rowan van Wyk appeared for the State.
The six accused were all arrested on 13 November 2017, the same day the robbery took place.
According to the Namibian Police Force, four of the suspects were intercepted and arrested while in transit to Rehoboth and two were arrested in Windhoek.
The accused, four South African nationals and two Zimbabwean nationals, are charged with robbing a G4S security guard of N.dollars 487 320 in cash at gunpoint. The money was collected by G4S from the Spar supermarket at the centre for banking.
An amount of N.dollars 336 000 as well as U.S. dollars 6 500 in cash (about N.dollars 93 515) was found on them at their arrest.
(NAMPA)