Windhoek — The Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal lodged by seven men convicted of robbery with aggravating circumstances and possession of a machine gun after they stole N$5.3 million in a cash-in-transit heist in November 2000.

Hyacinth James Ningisa, Macdonald Kambonde, Hendricks Henny Tsibande, Brendon David Omswa Similo, Ismael Oaeb, Vincent Ndabula Mabuza and Mike Sandile Mabena Apani were all convicted for the multi-million heist by Judge Anel Silungwe on 22 February 2006.

The Judge found that they forced Harald Schutt into submission by threatening to shoot him and that they stole from him a cellular phone, a Nissan pick-up motor vehicle with a canopy and a toolbox - all valued at N$75 426.

They had also forced security guard Kapira Gerhard Thihuro into submission, and wounded him with a shot fired from an R5 automatic machine gun and then stole the N$5.3 million, which was the property of City Savings Investment Bank (CSIB).

Judges Mainga JA, Shivute CJ and Maritz JA delivered their unanimous verdict on August 13 this year. According to the judges, the accused cannot say the sentences meted out to them were not tempered with mercy, and ordered that the appeals against the convictions and sentences be dismissed.