27 Apr 2014

Village Magistrate Court has been informed that the director of the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has sent back the docket of committal documents of murder accused Taku Gandari.

When Gandari appeared for his regular mention recently, Magistrate Priscilla Ditlhong was informed by Ms Thato Gower from DPP that the director of DPP, Mr Leonard Sechele had sent back the file so that an additional witness statement could be added into it before the document  could be signed.

Ms Gower said this delayed the committal of the case to High Court. Recently, the same prosecutor, who was late last year allocated the case, told the court that assessment on the case had been done and that the prosecution was eagerly waiting for the DPP director to append his signature on the documents to facilitate it to be committed to the High Court.

Meanwhile, Ms Gower told the court that she did not know how long it would take for the investigating officer to record the statement from the witness and bring it to the file as there were several stages in the process.

She was responding to Gandari’s complaint after he said it was taking a long time for his matter to be committed and also wanted to know how long it would take to secure the additional witness statement.

It was alleged that Omphile, died at the hands of her husband, Taku Gandari on March 8 last year, at Maipei ward in Mmopane after a misunderstanding between the couple. The Zimbabwean-born Gandari has been in custody since last year.

Gandari who is a builder by profession and has properties in Mmopane that include his house and vehicles had previously contemplated engaging a legal counsel to speed up his bail, which has not yet materialised. He will appear again on May 07, 2014 where the court will be apprised on the progress of the case.

On a different matter, one of the accused in the case in which four men are accused of murdering a cab driver has finally come to the court on his own volition after he failed to turn up for mention on several occasions.

Moabi Mabiletsa told the court that he had been sick and that he failed to report to Gaborone West Police Station because whenever he reports himself at the police station, he is usually threatened or locked-up in the cells and as such requested the court to allow him to report at a different police station.

However, Magistrate Goodwill Makofi acknowledged his justification of not having attended the previous court sittings but advised him to directly report to the investigating officer, inspector Mmilili Mashabile, who will ensure that he is not locked up as he alleged.

Matshidiso Boikanyo who is a co-accused in the same case, informed the court that the High Court has turned down his bail application because he still has two pending criminal cases. He was earlier denied bail by the lower court on the account that he was a flight risk and therefore appealed the decision to the High Court.

In the meantime, Boikanyo who has since been in custody told the court that he will patiently deal with the two pending cases before he could launch fresh bail application as he said there would be a change in circumstances.
Mabiletsa and Boikanyo are charged alongside Tshwanelo Tshimologo and Onthusitse Kgosiethata.

Boikanyo is the only one who is in custody because he still has two other pending criminal cases against him. ENDS