As Gosegomang Kareng peered through the window in Magokotswane ward, Molepolole, she saw a pair of legs tied with a black rope behind the bed. The rest of the body was hidden from view, but the sight was enough to confirm her worst fears , that Hubona Mhaladi (54) and her 10-year-old grandchild, Laofa Mmamorepo, had been murdered inside their home.

Her fears were confirmed when police officers, called to the scene, discovered the two victims’ bodies in an advanced state of decomposition. Their hands and legs were bound, and ropes were tied around their necks.

Kareng gave this evidence on Monday before Justice Oteng Motlhala of the Gaborone High Court, where convicted rapist Tshepiso Letsididi stands trial for two counts of murder, as well as rape, motor vehicle theft, housebreaking, and stealing.

"The blankets looked like someone had slept in, but at the back, we saw feet tied with a rope. We then called the neighbor to help us," she said.

She added that the neighbour brought a crowbar, which they used to break the padlock on the main door. All bedroom doors were locked, and they had to break them open ,only to discover the decomposing bodies of Mhaladi and her grandchild.

Another State witness, Mr Duncan Sediadie, told the court that he had accompanied Kareng and Laofa’s mother, Tchedza Mmamorepo, to the house after repeated phone calls to Mhaladi went unanswered.

He said they jumped over the fence since the gate was locked, and although it was late in the day, the lights inside the house were still on.

“We moved closer to the window and called the phone; it was ringing inside the house,” he said, adding that is when they decided to look through the window to see what could be stopping Mhaladi from answering.

Realising they might be witnessing a crime scene, the group called the police.

Witness Mr Tshepiso Maphalala testified that he met Letsididi on December 4, 2022, when police invited him to witness the accused recount the events of the day.

He told the court that Letsididi admitted to jumping over the fence, breaking burglar bars to gain entry, and making noise in the kitchen that woke Mhaladi. When she screamed, he tied and strangled her.

Letsididi allegedly confessed to proceeding to Laofa’s bedroom, where he raped and tied the child before locking both victims in their rooms, stealing household items, and escaping in their Toyota Camry, which he later abandoned near Metsimotlhabe after it ran out of fuel.

Detective Constable Obona Modisaotsile testified that he arrested Letsididi on December 1, 2022, in Malotwana, after receiving a tip-off that the suspect was at Rockstart Bar.

Upon arrival, police found Letsididi seated next to a silver BMW and arrested him. A search revealed BMW keys, a cellphone, Toyota Camry keys, and house keys in his possession.

Detective Modisaotsile said the Toyota Camry keys were later linked to the Molepolole murder case, in which the car had been stolen.

Letsididi, represented by Mr Michael Itumeleng, is charged with the murder of Mhaladi and Mmamorepo on November 11, 2022, at Magokotswane in Molepolole. He also faces charges of theft of property valued at around P5,000 and theft of the victims’ Toyota Camry.

The trial continues this week before Justice Motlhala. ENDS