/ 17 April 2002

South African extradited to Namibia to face murder rap

Johannesburg | Monday

A SOUTH African man wanted for the murder of two Namibian men in 1993, was extradited to Namibia this week, an Interpol official said on Sunday.

Senior Superintendent Mary Martins-Engelbrecht said Interpol in South Africa handed over Hermanus Herbst to Namibian authorities Thursday afternoon.

He had jumped bail and fled to South Africa in 1994.

Herbst and an accomplice, Walter Carelse, were arrested for the murder of two Namibian men, found shot dead on a central Namibian farm, Martins-Engelbrecht said.

Naftalie Boois and Moses Gowaseb were allegedly shot with an AK-47 assault rifle after they were found poaching in 1993.

Both Herbst and Carelse were given bail, but Herbst fled to South Africa were he hid until his arrest by South African police in October last year, when Namibian police asked Interpol to trace him, she said.

A senior South African detective, Johan de Beer, said the extradition should act as a warning to criminals.

“Both South Africans and foreigners alike should take note that the police and in particular Interpol, will stop at nothing to ensure that South Africa does not become a safe haven for criminals from anywhere in the world,” he said. – AFP