20 Sep 2016

A state witness in Gaborone North Farms murder and robbery case has insisted that he and his colleagues have never assaulted suspects when they apprehended them following intrusion at Tuwana Construction camp site.

Mr Mmolotsi Magang, who was on his second day giving testimony under cross examination said there was no any violence nor force which was exerted on the four suspects who were arrested in Oodi after a long night of tracking them. Mr Magang, who is a senior security supervisor with Security System said usage of violence on suspects was not only against the law but the company abhors and discourages it and as such when all the suspects were arrested he has never seen any one of them being assaulted. 

The 33-year-old, Magang, who have been with the company for some time now, further noted under cross examination from defence attorney, Ms Wema Isa, that even when they finally handed over the suspects to the police nobody ever raised the issue of assault.

Meanwhile, when responding to a question raised by another defence attorney, Mr Isiah Letlole, he said they were trained on how to handle a person, noting that in the course of their duty they were educated and trained on how to be courteous to their clients.

Above all, Mr Magang noted, they were taught how to command and direct their charges at all given times.  In addition, he said though he has never received any formal training on tracking, he has acquired the skill during their joint patrol and engagement with the Botswana Police Service officers.   

Attorney Letlole wanted to know whether the security company ever engage parallel investigations with the police if an incident has also been reported to them and Mr Magang noted that they do not necessarily conduct parallel investigations but merely respond to reports and determine where they could assist and then hand over the report to the police. 

Mr Magang further told the attorney Letlole that though he wrote in his police statement that there were shoe prints all over the place at Tuwana Constriction camp site, it did not mean that he covered the whole area when he was under guided inspection of the yard lead by a police officer. 

He said there were foot prints of the five suspects in areas which he covered. He therefore maintained that what he wrote in his statement and what he said while giving evidence in chief should be accepted as true version of the events. However he did not dispute the fact that there could have been other shoe prints of any other people at the site.

When responding to attorney Maswabi Maswabi, he said one has to pay keen attention on the way an intruder’s shoe prints marks, noting that everyone has a way of leaving a mark of the ground. He therefore said there was no use in going back to Tuwana Construction site to compare the shoes of the suspects with the shoe prints there because of the special attention he paid while tracking them.  

On another note, he told the court that he does not remember ever handcuffing the third accused, Gorata Sebego, because he was very humble and cooperative and at the same time did not show any signs of fleeing.  Standing trial are, Lebang Ntesi, Phemelo Tshelang, Sebego, Patrick Gaile and Mpho Mangwa. All the accused are on bail but accused number one, Ntesi, is in custody for a different offense.  According to the particulars of the offence, the five men who are all residents of Oodi in Kgatleng District, on the night of August 28, 2013 at Gaborone North Farms acting together with a common purpose murdered one night watchman, Mr Olebogile Ramapulane, who was guarding the property at the residence.

In the course of their action they also robbed their victim some property and police managed to recover some items which include a lap top and P15 280 cash. 

They were initially charged for attempted murder of Liu Jian Hui, still at the same farm on the same day.  During attempt on his life, Hui was gravely injured and got admitted at Princess Marina Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit. He has however left the country thus the charge has fallen.  The prosecution team from the DPP is made of Messrs Farayi Mahwite and Sharpe Dubula, while defence team is made of Ms Wema Isa, Mr Isiah Letlole, Mr Maswabi, Mr Eddie Babuseng and Ms Bokani Machinya. ENDS