09 Aug 2016

The Village Magistrate Court in Gaborone has learnt that investigations into the unlawful possession of dagga by two Swazi nationals and five Batswana have been completed.
When updating Chief Magistrate Mompati Taolo on Monday, the prosecutor, Detective Sub-inspector Baleofi Disho said he had  furnished the defence with the affidavit of the results of the forensic laboratory, which certified that the confiscated substance was dagga, weighing 7.7kg.
He said he would have furnished the defence with all necessary documents before the the September 19 mention.
Chief Magistrate Taolo ordered the state to have given the defence all necessary documents two weeks prior to the next mention, where Case Management Conference (CMC) was also expected to take place in preparation of the trial.
The attorney for the Swazi nationals Mr Lyndon Mothusi confirmed what the prosecutor said, noting that he will however ask for variation of bail conditions for his clients to have time to visit their family members in Swaziland since they had been in Botswana since their arrest. According to the charge sheet, the seven were arrested on May 27, 2016 at Tsholofelo East in Gaborone for unlawful possession of dagga.
They are; Sydney Mfanukhona Lushaba, Dalton Dogerville Steenkamp, both from Swaziland and Tumisang Segwagwa, Moemedi Batsile, Gape Itweleng, Maatla Tlhabaki and Reginald Setswammung.
Meanwhile, the court previously granted Batswana bail on the following conditions; that they each enter into P5000 self-recognition bond, each produce a surety who will bond himself with a sum of P2000, should not engage in any criminal activity and report once every Thursdays to CID office at the Serious Crime Squad.
On one hand the two Swazis were ordered to deposit a sum of P1000 each with the treasury office and produce one surety each who will bond themselves with P5000 each.
The other bail conditions prescribed to the locals extends to them.  ENDS