08 Jun 2014

A Francistown magistrate, Mr Sijabuliso Siziba, has said the prosecution will have to justify on June 9 why an accused in a diesel theft case could not be granted bail.

Responding to Josiah Tekere’s plea that he be granted bail, Magistrate Siziba said the accused should be remanded in custody until June 9 when the prosecution could justify their opposition for his granting of bail.

Magistrate Siziba said he took into consideration the issue by the prosecution that the matter was still fresh and investigations at an initial stage, therefore he could not grant Tekere bail.

The prosecutor, Insp. Alexandra Phale, pleaded with the court to remand Tekere in custody as investigations were at an initial stage and there was a possibility that he would connive with the second accused person who was still at large.

Insp. Phale said police efforts to arrest the second accused person were rendered fruitless when he escaped at his residential place when the police tried to arrest him. He added that police were yet to establish from which of the eight vehicles that were parked at CA Sales premises the accused tapped diesel.

When pleading for bail, Tekere said he would continue to assist the police to arrest the second accused person.

He noted that he led the police to the residence of the second accused person and even shown them from which vehicle the diesel was tapped from.

Tekere, who was read the charge but not asked to plead, indicated that he was not the owner of the diesel but the accused who was still at large. He told the court that he was with the accused in the same vehicle but was surprised when the second accused fled the scene leaving him with the diesel containers when the police arrived.Tekere is charged for theft of diesel from CA Sales on June 3 and the diesel was found in eight 25-litres containers. ENDS