08 Mar 2016

Two South African nationals, on Monday, appeared before Village Magistrate Court facing a single count of promoting human trafficking.

The accused are Hanamantsi Lekena of Ramatlabama in South Africa, who works as a cleaner at Palms Hotel and Antoinette R Nthoba of Pimville Zone 5 in Soweto, who is a butchery operator.

According to the charge sheet, the duo on about March 4 at Tlokweng border acting together in concert promoted the trafficking of two women aged 20 and 23 years from Ethiopia to Gaborone in transit to South Africa by providing recruitment materials, transportation and transfer facilities.

However, the prosecutor, Mrs Priscilla Israel told the court that the two were not candidates for bail more so that they did not have a fixed place of abode and were foreign nationals whom the authorities knew little knowledge of and that they were facing a serious offense.

Mrs Israel further said the two were a flight risk and as such it would not be easy to locate them if they could skip bail. 

Above all, she said the offence was committed recently and that investigators were still investigating the matter. Therefore, she said the pair should be further detained until March 14 when they would go to court for update.  

For his part, Principal Magistrate Goodwill Makofi agreed that the two should further be remanded looking at the seriousness of the offence. 

He also expressed fear that they might escape, noting that investigators should be given time to do a thorough job. ENDS