06 Oct 2024

Murder accused, Edwin Ramokweni on Thursday had his case finally committed to the High Court for trial by Village chief magistrate, Mr Daniel Nkau.

The matter was supposed to have been committed on September 23, but it emerged then that the accused had refused to receive the committal documents, leading to the magistrate ordering that he be served on the floor, then giving him a week to familiarise himself with the papers.

It is alleged that Ramokweni, a native of Ditshegwane in Kweneng, murdered one Ntukunu Makubate in Block 9, Gaborone in May last year.

Meanwhile Mr Nkau has set October 10 for Dithapelo Raditladi, who has been charged with grievous body harm, to make final submissions for his mitigation.

Raditladi, a resident of Mogoditshane, is accused of having caused grievous harm to one Rebaone Modise by stabbing him on the lower body with a sharp instrument. According to the state prosecutor, Ms Neo Molelekwa, Modise suffered a neurological dysfunction as a result of the injuries sustained, confining him to a wheelchair.

In his defence, Raditladi indicated to court that he acted in self-defense as the victim was the one who started the attack with a broomstick.

“This followed an exchange after I went to their place to check on his mother, who was my lover. He then ordered me to go and he grabbed a broom-stick with which he hit me,” he said.

He said the broom-stick broke in two as they wrestled for it, and he took the other piece and hit back the victim.

“After that I left him lying at the gate. I did not know that he was that hurt, that is why I left him and went away only to hear of his hospitalization the next day,” he said. Raditladi also indicated that the mischief was not premeditated, but only occasioned by the situation then.

Howvere, Ms Molelekwa indicated to him that he had admitted in his statement to the investigating officer that he used a scissor to stab the victim, and that in the interview with the investigator, he never mentioned any broom-stick.

“This is just an afterthought that came about during trial,” she said. Raditladi however, said the confession of him using a scissor was beaten out of him by the police, something the prosecution also dismissed as an afterthought.

Ms Molelekwa also said that the medical report has indicated that even a sharp broom-stick would not cause the nature of injury caused to the victim.

“The injury is simply not consistent with a kind that could be inflicted with a broomstick, but it is consistent with an infliction from a sharp instrument,” she said.

She also said the victim could not be faulted for pushing the accused to the gate as he had valid reasons to do so.

When asked to make his final submissions, Raditladi instead requested the court to give him two weeks to prepare, a request that was shot down by Mr Nkau as too long. ENDS