08 Oct 2017

Magistrate Gaseitsiwe Tonoki of Broadhurst Magistrate Court has ordered the further remand of murder accused, Daniel Phadisa pending completion of investigations into the matter.
Phadisa, who has been charged with the murder of two women in Broadhurst in Gaborone on Independence Day, appeared briefly in court on October 5 to have the charges read to him.

Acceding to the prosecution’s application for Phadisa’s further remand, Magistrate Tonoki said given the seriousness of the two offences, as well as the possibility of the accused being condemned to death should he be found guilty; the accused could interfere with investigations if granted bail.

He said since the matter was still fresh, it was important to afford investigators the opportunity to carry out investigations without interference from the accused, whom he said was also likely to skip bail for fear of the sentence his crimes could attract.
Mr Tonoki also noted that the matter was still fresh in the minds of the deceased’s families, stating therefore that if released on bail, the accused might be harmed by the deceased persons’ loved ones, hence the need to remand him for his own safety.

The prosecutor, Sub Inspector Onkemetse Modukanele of Broadhurst Police Station had earlier told the court that investigations were still at an initial stage, and that post-mortem for both deceased persons had not yet been done. Appealing for Phadisa to be remanded further while investigations were being conducted, Sub Inspector Modukanele had also said that the murder weapon was yet to be recovered.

She had indicated that the matter was still fresh in the minds of the families of the deceased and that it was therefore critical that the accused be remanded to protect him from possible harm.

After the ruling that he be remanded further, Phadisa told the court that he pleaded guilty to the charges, but was dully advised by Magistrate Tonoki that he could not plead at the magistrate court, but would enter his plea once his case had been committed to the High Court.According to the charge sheet, Phadisa is alleged to have murdered Bembe Magosi and Gomolemo Motladiile at Phiring location in Broadhurst on September 30. He will appear for mention on October 18. ENDS