Stepfather survives 'threat to kill'

OARABILE MOSIKARE
Correspondent | Wednesday August 8, 2007 00:00

At the High Court, Mmolawa's charge was changed to 'threat to kill'. The accused person pleaded guilty and Justice John Mosojane let him get away with a warning never to commit that offence again in the future.

 
According to principal prosecutions counsel, Nomsa Moatswi, Mmolawa's mother, Bothusang Gwere is married to Bouy Gwere.
On January 20, 2006 in the morning, the accused's mother tried to dissuade the accused from leaving home after a quarrel over a missing shaving machine.
The accused suddenly entered the bathroom holding a shotgun. 'The accused proceeded to point the gun at the complainant and said that he was going to kill him because he was causing him a lot of stress.

 
'The complainant -the stepfather- pleaded with the accused not to kill him to which the accused responded that he was going to kill the complainant and then commit suicide. As the accused was about to pull the trigger, the complainant kicked the barrel of the gun which went off'.

The court heard that 'the fired shot hit and damaged the ceiling of the bathroom.
Moatswi proceeded: 'All along, especially when Mmolawa had the gun and was running around the house demanding that the complainant should come out, Godknows Robby whose shop is adjacent to the complainant's place, saw him'.

Robby called the police and they arrested Mmolawa later the same day.
'By pointing the shotgun at the complainant and uttering words to the effects that he would kill him, the accused acted unlawfully,' Moatswi concluded.