14 Oct 2025

Chief Magistrate Rebecca Motsamai of Lobatse Magistrate Court will on October 15 deliver sentencing of 28-year-old Tlhalefang Sekwaere of Gopong, who has been convicted of two rape charges.

Sekwaere, who appeared before Magistrate Motsamai for mitigation on October 14, pleaded with the court for leniency.

He pleaded with the court to consider that he had been cooperating well since the cases were registered to date.

Additionally, he asked the court to consider that he was still young as he was born on 29 June 1996 with a great potential to reform.

He further said he was the first-born and a breadwinner.

Again, he said the court must consider that he had a schizophrenia medical condition.

His plea came after Magistrate Motsamai had brought to his attention the provisions of Section 27 sub section 5 of the penal code, which provided for the court to consider a lesser sentence than the statutory minimum prescribed where the accused had exceptional and extenuating circumstances that would render the imposition of the minimum mandatory sentence.

Prosecutor Ms Miriam Amos highlighted that after taking the convict’s fingerprints, the criminal record database reflected that he was once convicted of a rape offence in 2012 of which 10 years had lapsed before he committed the offence.

As such, she said when sentencing, the accused must be treated as a first offender. 

Sekwaere is convicted of raping two 14-year-old girls on their way to school in the morning of October 10, 2024 and November 29, 2025 respectively.  ENDS