Land fraudster bags three-year jail term

Lebogang Mosikare | Tuesday July 19, 2022 06:00

 

Land fraudster bags three-year jail term

Francistown Magistrate Thapelo Buang noted the public outcry on Friday when sentencing Gift Maposa, who also goes by the alias Buzwani Poloko, to five years in prison for two counts of obtaining by false pretences.

Maposa landed in hot soup after he defrauded Kuda Mari of P16,000 on two occasions claiming to sell to her a plot at Shashemooke village in August 2020.

When pleading with the court to be lenient during sentencing, Maposa said that he was an orphan who is taking care of his children and the rest of his family.

Magistrate Buang said he took into consideration Maposa’s pleas in his mitigation.

On the flip side, Buang said that cases in which fraudsters take people’s money with a promise to sell to them land are prevalent in Botswana.

“The accused should have learnt after the first transaction that his action was wrong. The conduct of the accused deserves punishment,” Buang said.

He subsequently sentenced Maposa to three years in jail with 12 months suspended on condition that Maposa does not commit any offence that has an element of dishonesty for two years.

On the second count, Buang sentenced Maposa to five years in jail with two years suspended on the condition that he does not commit any offence that has an element of dishonesty for three years.

“These sentences shall run concurrently and the time taken by the accused in jail before he was sentenced shall be deducted from his sentence. The accused is at liberty to appeal his conviction, sentence, or both within 14 days from today,” Buang said.

Baedzi Matshambane represented the State in the matter.