WINDHOEK - Desmond Amunyela, who together with Kiriata Kamanya is charged with assaulting freelance journalist John Grobler, has to wait longer to tell the court what happened on the night he is accused of assaulting Grobler.

Amunyela could not testify on Friday because of Magistrate Duard Kesslau’s absence due to illness. Amunyela was expected to testify on his own behalf on an assault charge that he was facing along with Kamanya, David Imbili and Agab Zedekias // Gowaseb. Kamanya and Amunyela, now have to face the music alone, since Imbili and //Gowaseb no longer form part of the case. They were discharged for lack of evidence at an earlier appearance.

The State alleged that that the four individuals assaulted Grobler at a popular Windhoek nightspot sometime in 2010. Grobler now has to wait for the Prosecutor-General’s decision to find out if he will be charged criminally for assault, after the very people he claims assaulted him laid counter-charges of assault against him. This came to light in an earlier appearance by Kamanya and Amunyela when State Prosecutor Phineas Nsundano asked the court to allow statements that the four accused made to their defence lawyer, Sisa Namandje into evidence.

Namandje objected to the request, saying that those statements are the subject of a totally different case and are of no relevance to the current situation. Magistrate Kesslau rejected the State’s application after some serious exchanges with the opposing counsels. All of the accused pleaded not guilty to a charge of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm when their trial began before Magistrate Duard Kesslau in July 2011.