31 Oct 2022

 High Court in Gaborone has on Friday been told that one of the three accused persons in the September 10, 2015 Oodi murder of Thato Meswele is still on the run.

Investigating officer (IO), Detective Senior Superintendent Sergeant Marapo said when the case was reported he was stationed at Broadhurst Police Station. 

He said an incident of assault and serious injuries was reported by one Dimpho Legwale (now Dimpho Meswele) that her younger sister was assaulted by unknown assailants and had sustained head injuries.

Detective Marapo said the victim was admitted at Princess Marina Hospital under intensive care unit because of her critical condition. He said a case of unlawful wounding was opened, which later changed to the charge of murder after the victim passed on because of her injuries. He said the alleged assailants were said to have fled the scene in a white Toyota Corolla.

When interviewed, the investigating officer said Dimpho Meswele suspected that her husband Ernest Legwale was behind the criminal act. However, Mr Marapo said at that point there was nothing linking the alleged culprit to the incident.

“Sometime in 2017, almost two years after the murder, we received information from an informer that Zwichanaka Dabie, Hamadi Mkhuha and Ernest Legwale could be the wanted murderers.

The informer further revealed that a silver BMW of registration numbers B 262 AXY was used to pay Dabie and Mkhuha for carrying out the murder. The informer further revealed that on top they were paid P15 000 to kill Dimpho Legwale, but mistakenly murdered her younger sister,” said Mr Marapo.  

He said Dimpho revealed that at the time of the incident she was in the process of finalising divorce. 

Upon investigation, the IO said the BMW alleged to have been used to pay the hit men was previously owned by Neil Strachan, later Moses Morwagole and a day after the incident (September 11, 2015), the said car yet again changed ownership to the names of Hamadi Mkhuha.

He further revealed that Mkhuha did not own the BMW for long. “On November 4, 2015, it was now in the names of Erikuzanda Dabie, the older brother to Zwichanaka,” he said. Mr Marapo revealed that other than being an accused person in the current case, Zwichanaka was also wanted in connection with murder, attempted murder and theft of motor vehicle cases reported at Broadhurst, Gaborone West and Moroka police stations respectively.

Mr Marapo said Zwichanaka also known as Godfrey, who hails from Moroka, started crime at a young age, and therefore had known him for long in respect to his line of duty.

“We went to search for him with my investigating team at his home village where we learnt that the police in that area were also looking for him in connection with theft of a motor vehicle in Moroka,” he said.

He said on February 20, 2018, Mkhuha was arrested at his residence at Mmopane, Block 1. “He cooperated with the investigating team and confessed that they (Mkhuha and Dabie) were hired by Legwale to murder his wife.

Detective Marapo said when called for questioning, Legwale indicated that Mkhuha was a dangerous man who at one point threatened to kill him with a gun, as such was not surprised that he was implicating him in a murder incident.

Even though denying his link to the crime, Mr Marapo said on the day of arraignment at the Broadhurst Magistrate Court, Legwale told the court that he had sent the two men to bury a baboon head at the residence of his wife in Oodi in an effort to stop their divorce case and as such what they did, which was killing a person has nothing to do with him.

Additionally, Mr Marapo said after getting bail, Legwale was caught allegedly communicating with Mkhuha, who was in custody. 

He said investigations revealed that Mkhuha was using cellphones while in custody and alleged that the said gadget was bought by Legwale and that one sim card was registered in the names of his daughter and the other in the names of his girlfriend.

Mr Marapo further said the assailants were alleged to have fled the scene in a white Toyota Corolla. 

He further revealed on September 10, 2015 after the assault which led to death of the victim, the trio of Moses Morwagole, Dabie and Mkhuha took a white Toyota Corolla to its owner Edwin Molusi in Lobatse, who had in his possession the BMW.

“He confirmed that his car was borrowed by Legwale and left him with the BMW,” he said.

Detective Snr Supt Marapo also told the court that one of the state witnesses, a traditional doctor from Zimbabwe, Hlanhla Wellington, who was by then based in Mochudi revealed during their investigations that he was once approached by Legwale requesting for something that he could use to kill Dimpho and her mother.

The duo of Legwale and Mkhuha and another not before court are charged with the September 10, 2015 murder of Thato Meswele of Oodi. The case has been set for November 19–20. Legwale is alleged to have hired the duo to murder Dimpho, but they accidentally murdered Thato, the younger sister to Dimpho. ENDS