24 Aug 2018

Efforts by four accused persons to be granted bail hit a snag when Jwaneng magistrate Mr Odirile Mokgatle on August 21 ordered that their remand warrant be extended to September 4.

The quartet of Boemo Baaitse, Pako Segogwane, Thuto Sugwasugwane and Tshepo Molwalefe are facing two counts of rape and murder.

They are accused of raping and killing Kenanao Leduma in Jwaneng during the Desert Race weekend on or about June 24, 2018.

During their previous mentions, the accused persons had pleaded with the court to grant them bail, citing unfavourable prison conditions.

However, the prosecution had maintained that investigations into the matter were still ongoing, hence they be remanded in custody.

On  August 21, the investigating officer Detective Sub-Inspector Boitshwarelo Mokgweetsi told the court that investigations were still ongoing and they had managed to record most witness statements, save for three.

He said two of the remaining potential witnesses were crucial to the case as they were raised as alibi by the first and second accused persons.

Additionally, he said the investigating team was yet to interview the second accused person about the whereabouts of the deceased’s pants, which were alleged to have been given to an unnamed traditional doctor.

He said the accused person was still declining to disclose the whereabouts of the said traditional doctor.

Furthermore, the investigating officer said remanding the accused persons was also important for their own safety as the case had attracted a lot of attention from society and was much talked about on social media.

He said he had been reliably informed that some residents of Lotlhakane East, where two of the accused persons reside, were baying for the accused persons’ blood.

He said even though they had finished investigations surrounding the alibi raised by the third and fourth accused persons, they were opposing their bail because the investigations on the whole matter were not complete.

He said all the accused persons were probably working as a team so there was a possibility that if some of them were granted bail, they would compromise investigations as some exhibits were not yet discovered.

During cross examination, Boemo and Pako requested that the investigating team should speed up investigations because they were not living comfortably at prison. Pako further put it to the court that he neither knew anything about the deceased’s pants nor the crimes he was facing.

The third accused, Thuto, said at the time of his arrest he was working at the Social and Community Development office (S &CD) thus he should be released so that he could go and assist his clients.

He also told the court that he relied on welding tenders and he had left his equipment at a client’s residence and was not assured of its safety.

He said the case had made him lose integrity and destroyed his future.

The fourth accused, Tshepo denied knowledge of neither the deceased nor the second and third accused persons.

He said he only saw the latter for the first time in this case.

In his ruling, Mr Mokgatle said bail was mainly based on two factors being whether the accused persons could avail themselves when requested for trial and with the presumption of innocent until proven guilty.

He said the accused persons had  not been proven negative of both factors.

He also said even though the court ruling could not be influenced by the society’s take on the matter, as a judicial officer he had to take this matter serious.

He therefore ordered that the accused persons be remanded in custody for their own benefit as well as in the interest of justice.

They will appear for mention on September 4. ENDS