The hearing of a planned appeal by the State against the acquittal of 42 men on high treason and related charges will start in the High Court in 2017.The men were found not guilty of the charges brought against them in September 2015. High Court Judge Elton Hoff acquitted them after he had found them not guilty of 278 charges, including a count of high treason, nine charges of murder and 240 counts of attempted murder. The charges relate to the failed attempts to secede the Zambezi region from the rest of Namibia on the 2nd of August 1999. Unhappy with the acquittal, the State approached the High Court with an urgent application in 2015, asking to be allowed leave to appeal against the decision. The 42 men made another appearance before Deputy Judge-President Hosea Angula on Wednesday during a pre-trial conference of case management review. They were informed that the hearing of the planned appeal by the State against them would begin in March 2017. The men were part of 121 suspects charged with participating in the attacks on government installations at Katima Mulilo in August 1999.