29 Jun 2016

Kgosi Boitumelo Garegae of Moletemane has expressed concern about the escalating murder incidents in his village.

Kgosi Garegae told Member of Parliament for Bobonong Mr Shaw Kgathi during a kgotla meeting on June 23, that within a short period of time five people, mostly women had been murdered. 

The tribal leader said most of the perpetrators had pending cases before courts of law and were on bail when they committed such offences. 

He pleaded with MP Kgathi, who is also Minister of Defence, Justice and Security that law must be tightened not to give culprits facing murder charges bail outs.

 Kgosi Garegae said capital punishment must be maintained in the country. He however said, they were contributing factors to such crime, especially that they occur at beer drinking spots at night and called on parents to bring their children to order.

Meanwhile, the Village Development Committee chairperson, Mr Hunter Mokwena asked government to upgrade a road linking Tsetsebye and Moletemane to a bituminised standard.

In response, MP Kgathi said he was equally concerned about the high incidences of murder in the area and warned that the law stipulates that those who kill others shall face capital punishment except where there are extenuating circumstances.

He said the ministry contemplates amending law on crimes such as murder, rape and others that are a concern to society to deny perpetrators bail. 

Mr Kgathi said as long as Batswana support capital punishment, government cannot stop the punishment.

Some crimes such as rape, he said take place between ex-lovers at drinking spots.

On developments requests, he said constituents must understand that developments in the country were a bottom-up planning process which had to be planned by the constituents at the lowest level first. Ends