Phala Phala burglary trial resumes against accused 1, as court waits for Oshiwambo interpreter

The Modimolle Regional Court has not been able to find a new Oshiwambo interpreter for the Phala Phala burglary case.

Oshiwambo is an official Namibian language and is the home language of the three accused in the matter, Imanuwela David, along with siblings Froliana and Ndilinasho Joseph.

The three are accused of breaking and entering President Cyril Ramaphosa’s farm in February 2020 and stealing 580,000 US dollars in cash.

On Monday, proceedings were cut short after the accused raised concerns with the poor quality of the court interpreter.

When the matter resumed on Wednesday, State prosecutor Nkhetheni Munyai told the court that the new interpreter was still on their way.

The matter is, however, proceeding, focusing solely on the money laundering charge that only applies to accused number one, David, who waived his right to an Oshiwambo court interpreter.