BY: Kelvin Chiringa
Abigail Bashala, wife of a mines minister that served under the dictator-regime of Mobutu Sese Seko in the Congo is now facing the wrath of the law in Namibia for smuggling migrants into the country.
Bashala was given refuge by Namibian authorities after the violent overthrow of the regime.
She allegedly witnessed her own three children being ruthlessly executed.
It is now the state’s case that she began smuggling into the country fellow Congolese migrants while employed by the justice ministry at Otjiwarongo as a translator in the magistrates’ court.
It was in the same court that her case initially appeared before it got referred to the Windhoek High Court where she appeared this week.
The Villager understands that Bashala was arrested at Wenela border post where it is said she was sneaking in migrants from the DRC through an ungazetted entry point.
She is now being represented by lawyer Kennedy Siyambangu while the state’s pre-trial memorandum has already been filed.
She also told High Court Judge Christie Liebenberg that she would not be needing the service of an interpreter and that she was comfortable having her trial conducted in the English language.
Her matter was ready for allocation and will be handled by High Court Judge Usiku on the 21st of this month where it will be on the review roll.
Bashala is out on bail in the meantime.
Meanwhile Bashala’s husband served under the regime of infamous Mobutu Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu Wa Za Banga who was an army chief of staff that ordered the execution of the now celebrated Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba.
He once served as chairperson for the Organisation of African Unity, changed his country’s name to Zaire and secured his power via a second coup.
He would later be expelled by rebel forces led by Laurent Desire Kabila before he died of cancer three months after, while accusations of nepotism, human rights violations, corruption and embezzlement became the substance of his history.
