15 Feb 2018

A double murder accused, Keodiretse Tlhofaetsi has on Wednesday told Gaborone Village Court Magistrate Ike Raphel that he hardly gets any sleep at Moshupa Boys Prison, where he is currently detained pending trial at the high court.

Tlhofaetsi said he cannot have a peaceful sleep at the facility as he is continuously haunted by his murder victims while trying to catch a sleep at night and as such requested it would be better if he could be granted his bail back, which was recently revoked after he was charged for another murder.

However, Magistrate Raphel asked him if he knew why his bail was revoked, to which he answered in the affirmative.

It was then that the magistrate asked him if he wanted him to reinstate his bail and give him another chance to go and continue his killing streak, to which he said he would not.

In the meantime, he said if released on bail, he would stay under the guardianship of parents at home.

He is accused of killing a man in Mmopane in September 2016 and was given bail on  condition that he binds himself with P2 000, produce two sureties and report fortnightly at Sir Seretse Khama Airport Police Station.

His next mention is February 28, 2018.

On the same breadth, Tlhofaetsi (19) will appear again today before Village Court Chief Magistrate Goodwill Makofi for his second mention for charges of rape and murder.

He is accused of raping and murdering Karabo Edith Letshoo on January 27 in Ledumadumane.

The accused is reported to have assaulted and inflicted serious wounds on a 26-year-old man on the same day at Ledumadumane, but charges have not been preferred on him.

Meanwhile, Magistrate Raphel has expressed shock and dismay at the level at which youngsters are involved in heinous crimes, especially murder in Mmopane.

This was after yet another murder case was registered before his court involving a 20-year-old lady, who was allegedly stabbed to death by her lady cousin on February 13 when the two had a misunderstanding after a drinking spree.

The prosecutor in the matter, Inspector Galekhuti Mashumba of Sir Seretse Khama Airport Police Station implored the court to further remand Kgomotso Rebonamang of Morake ward in Mmopane as investigations in the matter are still fresh and that the deceased relatives were still in shock and that their tempers were high.

Inspector Mashumba, whose request was granted, noted that the offending tool together with other exhibits have been sent to forensic laboratory for testing.

Asked whether she had anything to say, Kgomotso said there was nothing.

She will come for another mention on February 28.

In another murder case before Gaborone Extension II’s Magistrate Batho Kgerethwa, a Tlokweng man who is accused of the murder of his girlfriend sometime last year in July will come for another mention on February 27, where his case is expected to be committed to the High Court.

Mogotsi, who is also facing another murder charge for allegedly killing his father in 2012, is alleged to have strangled his girlfriend, Maria Losolebe on July 3, 2017 at their rented house it Tlokweng.

The incident happened shortly after she arrived home from a spent away night.

He single-handedly buried her in a grave, which they had dug together the previous day in an adjacent house.

He had told the police that he waited for dusk to set before burying her and sealed the grave with concrete. Ends