18 Jun 2024

Two men of Pilane charged with possession of goods stolen outside Botswana will spend the next 14 days locked up in prison in order to allow the police to further the investigations.

Giving reasons for denying the duo bail on Monday, Principal Magistrate Queen Moanga of Mochudi Magistrate’s Court said the matter was still fresh hence the investigation team needed more time.

“The investigating officer says he needs 14 days, which to me is reasonable considering the complexity of the matter,” the magistrate said.

The duo, Mompati Macheng (32) and Prince Lebekwe (28) are facing a single charge of possession of goods stolen outside Botswana.

They were arrested on  June 8 and arraigned before Mochudi magistrate’s court, where they applied for bail four days later. 

Magistrate Moanga said the timeframe was too short for the investigating team to have made headway in its investigations.

She said the 14 days requested by the investigating team was reasonable, adding that the investigations involved a cross-border collaboration between Botswana and South Africans police, which she noted was complex in nature.

“It is not a simple exercise which can be done in four days,” she said.

She said there was a need for the team to ascertain the said hijacking incident, in which the vehicle in question was stolen, as well as to identify the vehicle owner.

She further said the investigating officer needed to establish if the accused persons were involved in the alleged hijacking incidents.

Ms Moanga said what was clear was that the two men  were the only link between the vehicle moving from South Africa to Botswana. She said such was also conceded by the accused persons in their statements.

In addition, she said the investigation officer had also questioned the originality of the vehicle documents, which he said he suspected were fraudulent.

The magistrate further said the investigation team had indicated that the clearing agent the accused person allegedly dealt with, had indicated that he did not know them and had never dealt with the vehicle.

Macheng and Lebekwe are said to have on or about  June 8 in Mochudi in Kgatleng Administrative District , acting together with one common purpose and without lawful excuse found in possession of a grey Toyota Hilux Legend 50 valued at P250 000, reasonably suspected to be stolen in South Africa during a car hijacking incident.

The vehicle is alleged to have been stolen in South Africa and sold to one Mr Lesole Katlholo at P300 000, of which P260 000 was paid in cash and the rest was to be paid in ten months.

The duo will appear in court on  June 26. Ends