07 Jan 2020

A man accused of stealing a cow and a calf between April and May in 2018 at Tsibogolamatebele cattle post near Chanoga will know his fate on January 20.

Thirty-year-old Tokololo Tsetse of Chanoga reportedly stole the cow and calf belonging to Kehaletse Xhanea.

When passing judgement on January 6, Chief Magistrate Theebeetsile Mulalo of Maun said the court had taken into consideration that only circumstantial evidence was availed.

However, he said evidence proved that the cow was left with a scar where it previously had the complainant’s brand mark and had the accused’s brand mark just above the scar.

Chief Magistrate Mulalo said the accused had in some instances delayed the trial with the excuse that he wanted to engage an attorney at the initial stage of the case, which was granted, only for him to disappear, which led the attorney to withdraw from the matter.

He said the accused also tried the excuse of an attorney when the trial was to begin after representing himself for about eight mentions.

Chief Magistrate Mulalo therefore denied the accused to further seek an attorney, since it was an obvious excuse to delay the case.

He further said the accused had on some instances provided contradicting statements regarding who branded the cattle in question with his brand mark.

He said the accused had claimed that his branding iron was lost and that the cattle might have been branded by thieves, while on another instance he claimed the cattle were branded by people who knew him and had thought they were his.

He also said accused said he had no witnesses as his supposed witnesses were deceased. Ends