Namibia Minute.
Friday, 24 April 2026
A daily Namibian brief · Est. 2026
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Person

Helvi Shikalepo

Also known as: Magistrate Shikalepo · Magistrate Helvi Shikalepo · Shikalepo · Atutala Shikalepo

Magistrate who denied bail to Joel Angula in the January 2024 Namdia diamond heist case.

Society

Former bank employee held over N$4 million fraud

The News

A former Standard Bank Namibia employee has been arrested and charged with 12 counts of fraud for allegedly transferring N$4 million from clients' accounts to her own between April and August 2024. She is being held in custody pending further investigations and a court appearance on 18 May.

9 April 2026 · The Namibian

Thursday 9 April

  1. Former bank employee held over N$4 million fraud

    A former Standard Bank Namibia employee has been arrested and charged with 12 counts of fraud for allegedly transferring N$4 million from clients' accounts to her own between April and August 2024. She is being held in custody pending further investigations and a court appearance on 18 May.

    9 April 2026 · The Namibian

Thursday 2 April

  1. Former Standard Bank employee charged with fraud case

    A former Standard Bank Namibia employee has been charged with 12 counts of fraud after allegedly withdrawing N$4 million from client accounts between April and August 2024. The Windhoek Magistrate's Court denied bail and postponed the case to 18 May for further investigations.

    2 April 2026 · The Namibian

  2. Booys denied bail sixth time; five years in custody

    Former Okahandja Constituency Councillor and National Council member Steve Biko Booys has been denied bail for the sixth time and remains in custody for five years since his arrest in February 2021 on charges of raping a 20-year-old woman on two occasions. Magistrate Atutala Shikalepo rejected his new bail application, finding that his claims of prolonged detention, his brother's death, and alleged weakening of the state's case did not constitute sufficient new grounds for release, noting that the serious nature of the charges would likely result in substantial imprisonment if convicted.

    2 April 2026 · Informanté

Wednesday 25 March

  1. Ex-MP Booys' sixth bail application rejected by court

    Former member of parliament Steve Biko Booys has had his sixth bail request dismissed in the Windhoek Regional Court while facing rape charges. The magistrate ruled that the new facts presented were either not genuinely new or did not overcome previous grounds for detention, noting that Booys' trial delays stemmed partly from his own actions including changing defence lawyers and requesting the magistrate's recusal.

    25 March 2026 · The Namibian

Wednesday 18 March

  1. Former councillor Booys makes sixth bail attempt in rape trial

    Steve Biko Booys, a former National Council member, has filed a sixth bail application in connection with rape charges stemming from an alleged incident at his Okahandja home in January 2021. He has been in custody for five years; the prosecution argues there are no new facts in the application and cites DNA evidence and text message records as incriminating evidence, while the defence contends the state's case is weak.

    18 March 2026 · The Namibian

Friday 27 February

  1. Magistrates testify Avis Dam murder confessions were voluntary

    Two magistrates testified in the Windhoek High Court that two men accused of robbing and murdering a resident at Avis Dam in July 2020 voluntarily made confessions after their arrests, with neither man reporting threats or coercion when statements were recorded in November 2020.

    27 February 2026 · The Namibian

Tuesday 24 February

  1. Former Namdia guard denied bail in N$335m diamond heist case

    Magistrate Helvi Shikalepo refused bail for Joel Angula, a former Namdia security officer arrested in connection with a January 2024 armed robbery at the company's Windhoek headquarters in which diamonds valued at N$335.6 million were stolen and a security officer was killed. Shikalepo ruled that although the state has a prima facie case against Angula, his continued detention is in the interest of justice pending trial.

    24 February 2026 · The Namibian

  2. Diamond heist suspect denied bail by Windhoek magistrate

    Former Namib Desert Diamonds security officer Joel Angula was denied bail in connection with a N$315-million diamond heist at Namdia's premises last year. Magistrate Atutala Shikalepo ruled that the interest of justice dictates his continued detention pending trial, finding a prima facie case against him despite his assertions that he poses no flight risk and the State's case is weak.

    24 February 2026 · New Era

  3. Windhoek court denies bail to Namdia heist murder accused

    Magistrate Atutala Shikalepo has denied bail to Joel Angula, accused of theft and murder in connection with a January 2025 diamond heist at state-owned Namdia, citing the interests of justice and ongoing investigations into the recovery of N$295 million in missing diamonds.

    24 February 2026 · Informanté

Saturday 7 February

  1. Bail ruling due for man accused in N$330 million Namdia heist

    Joel Angula, a 46-year-old ex-protection officer accused of involvement in the Namdia diamond theft and the deaths of two people, will learn the outcome of his bail application on 23 February. The State has opposed bail citing severity of charges and fears of abscondment and witness interference, while Angula's lawyer argues the evidence is circumstantial.

    7 February 2026 · Informanté

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