Land Board employee faces indecent assault charges
Innocent Selatlhwa | Tuesday October 18, 2022 06:00
The man allegedly went to the woman’s hotel room to apologise for harassment over the phone, only for him to indecently assault her.
The alleged incident happened in May when the duo were on a work trip at Majestic Hotel in Palapye. “They spent the weekend there attending a conference with their colleagues.
On Monday morning the complainant woke up to many missed calls from an unknown number indicating she was being called around 2am. The same number would then call her at around 5am, where she realised it was the suspect on the line.
She dismissed his requests for him to come over to her room. The complainant went back to sleep only to wake up to six other missed calls and text messages from the suspect apologising for the calls.
After the complainant expressed her displeasure, the suspect insisted that they should meet up because there was something important he wanted to talk to her about,” a source said. It is said the complainant who was getting ready to return to their duty station would get more than she bargained for as the suspect came close to raping her.
“The complainant agreed to hear him out thinking he would be apologising. He went to her room while she was busy packing. Instead of apologising and leaving, he started touching her inappropriately, fondling her breasts and her pubic area while she kept on asking him to leave her. She eventually threatened to scream and that is when the man left her alone,” the source continued.
It is said the woman then went back to her duty station where she then reported the matter to Tsabong Police before it was referred to Palapye Police for investigation.
Palapye Police Station commander, Superintendent Molly Lebala-Moduke confirmed that they were investigating the matter. “I can confirm that we are investigating a matter in which an employee of Tati Land Board is accused by his counterpart from Tsabong Land Board of indecent assault. The incident was reported to have occurred on May 16,” she said.
She, however, would not be dragged into discussing the details. Government has started rolling out specialised courts having started in Molepolole. Gaborone, Francistown, Maun, Palapye, and Selebi-Phikwe as well as Mogoditshane, They would be established at the level of Chief Magistrates’ courts that shall treat all GBV cases as urgent matters that must be expedited.