25 Jan 2018

Two of the five accused in the Gaborone North Farms ongoing murder trial have finally concurred that they took part the August 28, 2013 Tuwana Construction Camp site attack, which led to the death of a security guard and subsequent stealing of property belonging to a Chinese man.

Giving evidence in chief before Gaborone High Court this week, accused number four Patrick Gaile told the court that he was privy to some of the incidents that took place at Tuwana Construction Camp site on the night of August 28, 2013 because he was there in the company of his co-accused.

Gaile had later given a confession statement, which at one point he challenged on the pretext that he was forced to submit it, but was overruled by Chief Justice Maruping Dibotelo.

Gaile, who earlier informed the court that he is not educated nor does he know how old he is except that he knows that he was born in 1974, told the court that on the evening of the said fateful day, while returning from work at Phakalane, received a phone call from Thabo Lebang Ntesi inviting him for a job of collecting copper at Tuwana Construction camp.

He said they met at Ithuseng and Durban Bars in Oodi, where he found Ntesi in the company of Phemelo Tshelang drinking beer and smoking cigarettes. Gaile, led by his attorney, Mr Eddie Babuseng told the court that when they were just about to board the combi to Phakalane, they were joined by Mpho Mangwa.

Upon their arrival at Phakalane, the court heard, they found Gorata Humble Sebego waiting for them and then proceeded to Tuwana site by foot. He said upon their arrival at the site, they went around the iron sheet enclosed compound searching where they could gain entry until they found a tree which they used as leverage to enter.

He further told the court that the yard is sub-divided into three portions and Sebego remained in the first portion, while the rest proceeded to the second portion where two security guards were sited around a fire cooking beans. When they were just about to reach them, he said, one of the security guards bolted out to the third portion where there was a man of Chinese origin in the house.

He said Ntesi and Mangwa pursued the fleeing guard while he remained minding the entrance. In the meantime, he said, Tshelang in the second porting picked up an object and hit the remaining security guard sending him flat on the ground while water from the tumbled boiling bean pot splashed on the fire thus creating a cloud of hot ash.

He said a bloody fight erupted as the security guard tried to block Tshelang with a plastic chair, but could not match the attacker. He said although the security guard did tried to rise up, Tshelang stood guarding and did not help him in anyway.

He too did nothing to help as he claimed he was only instructed to remain guarding and not move an inch.

In the meantime, he said Sebego, who was unable to climb over because of his height, appeared and proceeded to portion three, but at that time he said they saw two Chinese men climbing over the gate to gain entrance in the premises, therefore they ran away in different directions.

Gaile told the court that he arrived in Oodi alone and did not talk to anyone that night until he was arrested the following day. He however told the court that their mission was not to kill anyone and were not armed when they left for Tuwana. Ends