06 Nov 2019

Magistrate Gaseitsiwe Tonoki of Broadhurst Magistrate Court has urged prosecutors in the conspiracy to rob case to up their game.

He said that the prosecution team must ensure that in the next mention, they furnish the court with all necessary statements so that the case could move forward, pointing out that they must know that criminal cases should at least take 18 months to be completed.

Magistrate Tonoki said it was very disturbing for prosecutors to drag their feet in completing cases, when they are the ones who brought the case to court.

He said if they did not comply with court requests in the next mention, he  might dismiss the case, adding that it would give them a chance to put their house in order before registering the case again if they so wish.

This came after the prosecuting team told the court that the investigating officer was on maternity leave, hence the delay in issuing the defence with statements they were instructed to furnish them with.

The defence team, which comprises of Ofentse Khumomotse representing the first accused Lebogang Mhotsha and Nkepe Mabudu representing the third accused Kefilwe Ramoitoi lamented that the prosecutors had failed to comply as per the court order in the last mention.

They submitted that it would be good for the prosecutors to withdraw the case then gather all the information that they needed before registering it again, adding that they had no clue why the case could not proceed.

The three jointly accused are Lebogang Mhotsha, Poloko Seduke and Kefilwe Ramoitoi. They are charged with conspiring to rob seven people among them Naledi Leburu, Albert Basinyi, Orapeleng Phetso and Rebaone Kgaditswe through the aid of six South African men, whose identities are not yet known. They will appear again on December 2. ENDS