Former MP’s bail appeal moved to October

Staff Reporter

THE bail appeal of Steve Biko Booys, a former Swapo councillor and ex-Member of Parliament who has been in custody on charges of rape, has been rescheduled for October.

Booys made a brief court appearance on Monday morning in the High Court of Namibia before Judge Christie Liebenberg and Judge Christiaan Philanda to appeal the decision by the Regional Court for denying him bail. The 45-year-old has been in police custody since February 2, 2021, following his arrest on two counts of rape. He stands accused of raping a 20-year-old woman at his residence in Okahandja on January 16 and 17 of the previous year.

He was initially denied bail several times, with the first bail denial in the Okahandja Magistrate’s Court after the magistrate found that it was not in the interest of the public for him to be released on bail, as the investigations into the matter were still underway.

On his second bail application, which was based on new facts, the court found that these facts neither addressed public interest nor the administration of justice, and they did not alter the original grounds for his bail denial. In the end, he was further denied bail and remanded in custody.

In his latest bail application in the Regional Court, the State argued that it has a strong case against him and that it also fears that the accused may abscond. It submitted that he must be remanded in custody. On this note, the Regional Court found that the state had established a strong case against Booys, through text messages he reportedly sent the victim after the alleged rape incidents.

In one of his bail applications, Booys testified that he has four children, that he is a public figure and a philanthropist. His bail appeal will be heard on October 2, 2023, in the High Court of Namibia at 10:00.