17 Mar 2014

Molepolole Magistrate Court recently refused to change bail conditions of one businessman of Ntloelengwae ward charged with rape.

Senior Magistrate William Modise said as long as Onkabetse Khumoetsile did not meet the bail conditions he will be remanded in custody.

Initially when the 20 year old was granted bail, one of the conditions was that two people should bind themselves with P500 each.

Things came to shove when the other surety could not sign the court papers because he was below the required age.

The accused claimed he realised this fact too late and asked the court to release him from custody so that he may find ways of sourcing the required money.

The accused drew a picture of how he was the sole bread winner in his family and pointed out that his grandmother was struggling to put bread on the table for the family as she is old.

The accused further stated that he had hoped his other family members would come to his rescue but all that had been in vain.

He said s most of his family members had deserted him and had never checked on him ever dince his incarceration.

Magistrate Modise reminded the accused that he was charged with a very sensitive and serious offence.

He further reminded the accused that he has to be aware that women were human beings and were entitled to walk freely instead of being treated like animals and forced to do things against their wish.  He further stated that when one was raped they lose their dignity and that killed their self-esteem.

Magistrate Modise explained to the accused that when a woman said no it meant no, and he further criticised the mentality that most men carry about women that when they said no they meant yes.

He said such men were misleading themselves as justice would prevail and men would learn the hard way if they continued to believe in this myth.

The particulars of the offence are that on the night of December  20 , 2013 along Engen filling station at Magokotswane Ward, the accused raped a 17 year old girl of Goo Khunou in Molepolole. ENDS