Four were killed and two wounded, but the incident was reported in the South African press as a skirmish with "terrorists". Winter gathered information on the shootings and on 7 February released to the world press a "Statement on the Epinga Shootings" in which he described "[a] peaceful crowd of Ovambo Anglicans, many carrying prayer and hymn books" on whom the police opened fire. Several of the strike leaders were arrested and charged with various offences, and Winter offered to try to help them to pay for their defence. At first they were reluctant, but eventually they agreed, and advocate Brian O'Linn was engaged to represent them when the trial began on 25 January 1972. The Richard Wurmbrand controversy At that time, when he was returning from a meeting in South Africa, Winter found himself sitting next to pastor Richard Wurmbrand on the plane. Wurmbrand had been invited to speak at a series of meetings in Windhoek by a Dutch Reformed minister, Dana Minnaar. Wurmbrand invited Winter to join him in a press conference at the airport, but Winter declined, saying that, though he sympathised with the persecuted Christians in Romania, Christians in Namibia were also being persecuted. At his press conference, Wurmbrand denounced Winter for failing to join him, and the following day Die Suidwester had a front-page banner headline "Winter confesses". On one side, under the main heading, was Winter's "confession" that he was paying for the legal defence of the strike leaders, while on the other side, under the same headline, was Wurmbrand's denunciation of Winter, referring to bishops and priests who went around stirring up trouble in Ovamboland, where the people were "ignorant savages" who knew no better. Winter then went to see Wurmbrand at Dominee Dana Minnaar's house, hoping to clear up misunderstandings and bring about reconciliation. Winter said that he sympathised with the plight of persecuted Christians in Romania, but that Romania was far away, and Christians in Namibia had to face the evils of apartheid, which were far more immediate. Wurmbrand said that this was being parochial; South Africa did not aim at world domination, but communism did, therefore Winter should concentrate his energies on fighting communism. As he was leaving, Winter knelt down in front of Wurmbrand and asked for his blessing. Wurmbrand refused at first, but Winter insisted, saying that he wanted the blessing of one who had suffered for his