Elder appears for child molestation Four underage girls from Swakopmund were allegedly paid by a 59-year-old man to play with his private parts. According to Chief-Inspector Erastus Iikuyu of the Namibian police in the Erongo Region, the girls aged between 11 and 16 were allegedly picked up by the accused, Hendrick Heinrich Fourie (Oupa Becks), from home and taken to different places in Swakopmund where the offences were committed. The first incident is alleged to have taken place in 2015 and this is said to have carried on until November this year.
Iikuyu said the information about the alleged molestation came to light when neighbours of the victims informed their parents about an old man who used to come on several occasions to the house to pick up the girls.
Fourie was arrested by members of the police on Wednesday last week and made his first appearance in chambers at the Swakopmund Magistrate''s Court on Thursday on charges of contravening the Immoral Practices Act. State prosecutor, Paulus Shilongo, objected granting the accused bail on the grounds that he might interfere with the state witnesses and because of the seriousness of the offences. Magistrate Nelao Brown postponed the case to 8 February next year for further investigations and approved the accused''s application for a formal bail hearing.
Fourie was represented by Wilfred Ahrens.
Jessica Botes