10 Mar 2016

Gaborone based chief magistrate, Ms Faith Dlamini Ng’andu has issued a warrant of arrest against Meshack Kangangwane, one of the accused people in the P2million Trojan Security robbery case.

The accused failed to show-up during the March 7 appearance when the case was scheduled to resume after the chief prosecution counsel, Ms Thato Dibeela told the court that she has not received any information about the accused’s whereabouts.

The prosecution has been ordered to avail Kangangwane’s sureties on the next mention day and that they should each bring along the P5 000 bond payments for the accused’s failure to turn up.

Gerald Zikhale’s two sureties have also been ordered to each pay P20 000 in 30 days after the accused failed to appear on several instances. 

All the four sureties of the two accused have been ordered to appear on March 21.

One of Zikhale’s sureties, Mr George Zikhale, who identified himself as the accused’s elder brother, told the court that he did not have any official version about his brother’s whereabouts except through the grapevine that he was probably in South Africa or Namibia.  

However, magistrate Nng’andu said since George and Colly have been made aware of the absence of their younger brother as his sureties, the court expects them to pay P40 000 of which they have each bonded themselves to pay P20 000 each. She said their failure to pay would result in imprisoned as a result of their failure to abide by the bail conditions of their brother.  

However, George said he did not know that failure to pay the bond would result in imprisoned and pleaded with the court that he be given time to raise the money.

Ms Dibeela did not object to George’s plea and asked the magistrate to be lenient and give the sureties two months in order to raise the money. 

However, the court did not agree and ordered them to pay within a month.

Meanwhile, Zikhale’s attorney,  Mr Gosiame Digangwa said he was aware of the consequences faced by the sureties and pleaded with the court that they be given a reasonable  period not in excess of four months.

“When someone signs as a surety, they literally put their head on the block, which is why they have to go through an interview to get tested whether they qualify”, stressed Ms Ng’andu.  The accused’s plea was dismissed on the basis that the offence committed was serious and that the sureties were aware of possible the outcomes.

However, Ms Ng`andu advised the counsel to withhold the application until April 7. 

She ordered that the sureties be on stand-by and appear on March 21 in order to give an update on the accused.

Attorney Digangwa informed the court that he wants to recuse himself from the case since the case has not progressed because the accused persons have a tendency of not availing themselves in court. Ends