08 Dec 2015

Ruling on the Sebele Mall Filling Station armed robbery case has been postponed to February 2016.

Gaborone Village Chief Magistrate, Ms Linah Oahile-Mokibe who is reportedly on transfer to Molepolole, postponed the ruling for the second time. 

She arrived at the decision after the prosecutor from the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Ms Sally Boitumelo informed the court that one of the accused, Golwelwang Efedile was missing and has since been declared a wanted person by the police.

Efedile is also wanted in connection with other criminal offences, a development which has been confirmed by Constable Tumelo Matshaba of SSKA Police. 

He is said to have been involved in a spate of robberies which took place in and around Gaborone from November this year. Police have arrested and detained some of his alleged accomplices.

Meanwhile, on 13 October 2015 when the court was scheduled to rule on whether the accused have a case to answer or not, Efedile was nowhere to be found and has never been located by law enforcement agencies who are on his trail. 

Other accused in the matter are Joseph Gaie, who is on bail and Bampoloki Kgangpetsa.

The three men are facing a single charge of armed robbery. 

The accused are jointly charged for robbing Northend Filling Station at gun point on 5 February 2012 where cash, cigarettes and airtime totaling P7 000 were stolen.

When Constable Matshaba took the stand, he informed the court what transpired on 5 February 2012 as previously detailed by accomplice witness, Agisanyang Makopo while giving evidence in chief. 

Cst Matshaba told the court that the accused together with the accomplice witness entered the premises of the filling station at around 2am with covered faces and immediately entered the kiosk where they instructed employees to hand over the cash.

He stated that one of the four men remained behind in a green military coloured Toyota getaway sedan while three entered the kiosk; with one holding something which resembled a handgun. 

Cst Matshaba said two of the men jumped over the counter and grabbed two cash tills, some cigarettes and cellphone airtime before escaping to the waiting vehicle which sped towards Ledumang.  

The culprits were arrested days later and Makopo eventually became an accomplished witness. 

This long-winded case has attracted a lot of attention since its start, particularly that some of the accused once had a field day with journalists and prison warders by pelting them with missiles, resulting in the breaking of a still camera which could result in a custodial sentence of not less than 10 years, if the accused are found guilty. 

 

By the time the case resumes, it will be exactly four years old and the delays in the trial were mostly caused by the accused who at times either did not show up or called for postponement because they claimed they did not feel well. Ends