Ballistic Report: Max Endjala's Gun Used in NAMDIA Head of Security Execution

Staff Reporter BALLISTIC reports show that the bullet that killed the Head of Security of Namib Desert Diamonds (NAMDIA), Francis Eiseb, in January 2025 was from a Taurus nine millimetre pistol, which was registered in the name of Max Endjala. It is alleged that Endjala used the same gun to commit suicide after security personnel arrived at the robbery scene. Francis was murdered execution-style after being shot in the back of the head on 18 January 2025 at the NAMDIA premises, in a heist that resulted in the looting of diamonds worth over N$300 million. A year later, one of the investigating officers in the matter, Simeon Nghilalulwa, testified in court, opposing the bail of one of the accused, Joel Angula, who is a former protection officer at NAMDIA and a cousin of the deceased Endjala. Recounting witness testimonies collected by Commissioner De Klerk, Nghilalulwa said that the alleged robbers, namely Sam Shololo and Endjala, allegedly tied up all the diamond sorters they found in the sorting room. “After tying up all the victims, they went to the safe where the diamonds were kept. They demanded the keys from one of the victims, Andries Eiseb, one of the diamond sorters. They managed to take most of the unpolished diamonds. Thereafter, after getting all the diamonds, they apparently proceeded back to the guard house,” Nghilalulwa said. He added that once the suspects allegedly went back to the guard house situated next to the front gate, with a bag of diamonds carried by Endjala, security personnel arrived at the scene. “According to Commissioner De Klerk, when he interviewed the applicant, Joel Angula, when Max came to the guard house, he (Angula) tried to persuade them to just hand themselves over to the police. Max just responded, ‘we are f**cked,’” Nghilalulwa said. He added that Endjala, after realising that they were trapped due to the arrival of security officers at the scene, turned on his heel, went back to the office block and proceeded to the server room. “Max proceeded to the server room where the deceased, Francis Eiseb, was kept by Max Endjala and Sam Shololo. However, I forgot to mention that when Endjala and Shololo went to the office block, the CCTV showed that Endjala went to the electrical box and switched it off. This is when all the cameras went off. Nobody can tell what transpired in the server room. However, investigations reveal that Eiseb was shot in the back of the head. Ballistic reports show that the bullet that killed Eiseb was from a Taurus nine millimetre pistol that is registered in the name of Max Endjala. Again, it was also discovered that the same pistol was the one which had been used by Max to shoot himself. According to the ballistic expert report, the muzzle impression of the pistol showed that the firing came from close range,” Nghilalulwa said. He added that the bag of diamonds which Endjala had carried to the guard house was nowhere to be found in the server room or anywhere else. Nghilalulwa added that, according to the first responders from Xiphos, upon their arrival at the crime scene they found Sam Shololo armed with a 7.65 calibre pistol. “He fired shots towards them and they retaliated by shooting back with a shotgun. He was struck and thereafter surrendered himself and handed over the firearm,” Nghilalulwa said. The investigating officer also stated that claims by Angula that he had been tied up during the robbery are false. “I should also stress that whilst viewing the CCTV footage, even though the applicant (Angula) indicated that he was tied up, while the robbers, Shololo and Endjala, were still on the premises, Angula attended to several visitors who came to the premises. The first visitors were the NBC crew, who came to do an interview with Monica Shapwa,” Nghilalulwa said. The investigating officer further noted that there is a high chance Angula may tamper with evidence if released on bail. “With regard to interference, considering the large amount of missing diamonds, 452 parcels worth N$295 million which are still outstanding, the likelihood of the accused interfering with those exhibits is very high. Again, regarding the interference, the applicant was presumed from the onset to be a victim. He had ample time to move around the crime scene. He knows the majority of the witnesses, most of whom are his former co-workers and police officers who were his colleagues. The likelihood of him interfering is very high. Again, taking into consideration the outstanding exhibits — the missing diamonds — they are in the possession of someone. There is a huge possibility that he would testify against them. Granting bail could be a danger to him as an accused person, as he can be intimidated. If that happens, it would not be in the interest of the administration of justice,” Nghilalulwa said. NAMDIA HEAD OF SECURITY: The late Francis Eiseb who was murdered during the NAMDIA diamond heist. Photo: File.