The continuation of the trial of five people arrested over the death of Windhoek municipal worker Peter Muleke in March 2015, is now scheduled to resume in the High Court here in September. The five are 33-year-old Annastacia Lubinda, 32-year-old Dave Kondjera, 26-year-old Donald Hindjou, 35-year-old Abiud Uazeua, and 27-year-old Dollam Tjitjahuma. The five accused persons made another appearance before High Court Judge Christie Liebenberg during a conference of case management review on Wednesday when they were informed that the continuation of their murder trial will resume on 21 September 2020. The postponement was effected as per an agreement reached in court between State Advocate Marthino Olivier and the accused persons’ government-funded defence lawyers of Milton Engelbrecht, Brownell Uirab, Miriam Kenaruzo, Trevor Brockerhoff and Tuna Nhinda. On the same date, 21 September, a ruling in respect of the five accused’s applications for a discharge that was brought before the court in terms of Section 174 of the Criminal Procedures Act of 1977, will also be made public. The five each and jointly through their respective defence lawyers brought the applications for discharge after the prosecution had closed its case by ways of calling State witnesses who gave evidence on behalf of the State during the proceedings of the trial. The five accused have so far suffered some irreparable legal blows since 2017 when two of their applications for the removal of High Court Judge Johanna Salionga from continuing to preside over their trial, were dismissed in rulings handed down by the same judge. The group have also brought a number of failed urgent bail applications that were dismissed by the court due to the seriousness and complexity of the charges they are facing, which requires them all to be placed on their defence and testify before court regarding their alleged involvement in the murder of the late municipal worker, Muleke. The first attempt for the removal of Judge Salionga was dismissed on 20 April 2018 while the second one was thrown out on 5 September 2018. The failed recusal applications were brought before court after the accused’s confessions and other self-incriminating statements were admitted as evidence on 5 March 2018. The disputed confessions and other related self-incriminating statements are now being admitted as evidence before court and used by the prosecution against the accused during the continuation of the trial. In her ruling in respect of the failed recusal bids, Judge Salionga said all the allegations of bias and that she cannot handle the trial in an impartial manner raised by the accused, are without merits. She said the accused made the confessions and other statements voluntarily and were not forced by the police as they are now claiming before court. According to the judge, the accused were in full control of their minds when they gave the police investigating team detailed information about their participation in the murder of Muleke, 36, on 31 March 2015. The sixth accused David Matali, 45, died in 2018 after he collapsed while in police custody at the Windhoek Central Correctional Facility’s trial-awaiting section. Muleke was found dead a few metres from his car in the Goreangab Dam area on the western outskirts of Katutura on 31 March 2015. Lubinda, who is listed as accused number one in the matter, is the late Muleke’s wife. The five accused have already entered not guilty pleas against the charges on 14 November 2017 in the presence of their respective defence lawyers. Key accused Lubinda is being held at the Seeis Police Station on the eastern outskirts of Windhoek while the four men are at the Windhoek Central Correctional Facility. -NAMPA