12 Jun 2023

A 40-year-old man from Kopong who is charged with the murder of his wife has pleaded with the court to grant him bail.
Gomolemo Motlanyana is alleged to have killed his wife at a Gender-Based Violence (GBV) support centre in Gaborone last month. He made the plea when appearing before Magistrate Goratile Moremi-Ramakoloi at Broadhurst Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
When making his application, the accused said he wanted bail to be able to secure his properties for the sake of his three children.
He stated that if released on bail, he would not interfere with police investigations and state witness, adding that he would stay at one of their houses in Gaborone. He further undertook to attend the court whenever summoned.
However, the application was opposed by the state, represented by Ms Keletso Ookeditse of the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP), who appeared alongside Inspector Onkabetse Modukanele of Botswana Police Service. Ms Ookeditse said it was not in the best interest of the children for the accused to be released on bail at this stage.
 “To consider the bail application, we must not look only at the interests of the accused, but of all those involved in the matter,” she told the court.
Ms Ookeditse said judging by the facts before the court, the interests of other people involved in the matter outweighed those of the accused person. She pleaded with the court to treat the matter with sensitivity since it also involved minor children.
In support of the state’s argument, the investigating officer, Detective Sergeant Keitumetse Bonang, indicated that investigations into the murder were still at an early stage and she had not yet recorded witness statements from eye witnesses from the support centre, whom she said were still undergoing counselling.
She said the couple’s three children had also just started their counselling sessions and were staying with the accused’s parents after being released from the centre. Sergeant Bonang said releasing the accused may affect the children counselling progress.
 “I am yet to establish what his intention was towards the children when he committed the offence, because he was armed when he went to the shelter, which was the same place where the children were,” she said.
 Ruling for the bail application has been set for June 26. BOPA