19 Oct 2023

Murder accused, Ernest Legwale has denied plotting to eliminate his ex-wife, Dimpho Meswele.

Leading his defence before Judge Michael Leburu of Gaborone High Court on Wednesday, Legwale said he did not recall ever having any motive to harm or kill his former wife.

Legwale and alleged hitman Hamadi Mkhuha are on trial for the murder of Thato Meswele, who was a younger sister of Legwale’s former wife.  

The fact sheet shows that the accused assaulted the deceased on September 10, 2015 in Oodi and inflicted serious injuries on her head, which resulted in her death four days later.

The case against Legwale is that he reportedly hired hit men, Mkhuha and another person not before court, and together plotted to murder Legwale’s ex-wife (Dimpho Meswele).

However, the hit men are said to have accidentally killed Thato, the younger sister to Legwale’s former wife.

Responding to the prosecution’s evidence, Legwale denied orchestrating a plot to murder his ex-wife, contrary to the aversion that he had wanted to murder her before conclusion of their divorce, so that he could be the beneficiary of her accrued financial savings.

Legwale accused his former wife of being paranoid.

He said if there was anyone between the two of them who stood to benefit from the other’s death, it was his ex-wife as his savings far outweighed hers.

He posited that if indeed there was a plot to kill someone, he was the likely target as Ms Meswele stood to benefit financially from his demise.

“Her financial policies had nothing to entice one to the extent of wanting to take her life.

What I had accumulated and was getting from my employment was far much more than what she was getting and had accumulated in her savings. It was irrelevant for me to have such a motive.

“In the event that I was to pass on during the time in question, my beneficiaries, which included my ex-wife, were to get a pay-out of my monthly salary of P40 000 multiplied by 60 months as well as my pension savings,” he said.

As such, Legwale said evidence led by the prosecution before court that he had a motive to orchestrate Dimpho’s killing in order to benefit by getting her savings was unsubstantiated.

“It came as a shock when it was alluded that I wanted to kill Dimpho for her earnings, which were much lower than mine.

When I met Dimpho I was already living a stable life; she never made me,” he said.

Legwale concurred with the prosecution that indeed two separate burglary causes occurred at their residence at Naledi Senior Secondary School.

However, he denied being behind the criminal acts which were alleged to have been plots to murder Dimpho.

The trial is ongoing with the defence teams presenting their case. ENDS