The 31-year-old security guard accused of shooting and killed his colleague, Jose Albano Samba while on duty at the Cheetah Cement factory on Friday, appeared in the Otjiwarongo Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.

The accused, Philander Ferdinantius, appeared before Otjiwarongo Magistrate Karel Muyeghu.

Muyeghu explained the legal rights of Ferdinantius to apply for legal representation at the Ministry of Justice’s Legal Aid Department; acquire his own private lawyer or defend himself in court.

Ferdinantius told court that for now in the initial stages, he prefers to defend himself. He plans to engage the services of a legal aid lawyer during trial.

His case was then postponed to 05 July 2022 to allow the State to thoroughly investigate the murder case he is facing.

The State also asked the court to keep Ferdinantius in custody to avoid him influencing the only witness in the matter, who is his friend and colleague at Amon Security Services, where he and the deceased both worked.

The court advised Ferdinantius that if he wants to be released on bail, he should submit an application so that arguments in court can determine if he is a good candidate for bail.

Public prosecutor Joas Neemwatya represented the State in the matter.

Samba succumbed to a single gunshot wound that he sustained in the shooting at around 18h00 on Friday.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency