'Next time, don’t report to the police, figure out where to go'
Larona Makhaiza | Thursday February 19, 2026 17:29
Before withdrawing the matter, Mmesi told the woman not to report a similar case to the police again in the future.
The woman had dragged her boyfriend to court, but after a change of heart, she argued that her boyfriend was under the influence when he threatened her.
Appearing before Magistrate Mmesi, a 29-year-old woman, Keamogetswe Motswakadikgwa, took a stand to withdraw the charge against her boyfriend, Alex Gadimo. Motswakadikgwa had been summoned by the state to tell the court why she wants to withdraw the case.
Motswakadikgwa said she understood where her man came from and had totally moved past the threat-to-kill charge, leaving the courtroom in shock.
“The accused here is my boyfriend, and I want to withdraw the charge against him because I have forgiven him,” Motswakadikgwa told the court. She further stated that under normal circumstances, her boyfriend would have never threatened to kill her, hence why she forgives him.
“I forgive him because he was under the influence of alcohol when he uttered those words,” she said. Motswakadikgwa explained that she does not want to ruin the life of her boyfriend as he stands to lose more in the case if he is prosecuted.
“I want to withdraw this because he stands a chance of losing his job if this goes to trial,” she said. State prosecutor Seratswe asked Motswakadikgwa if she is aware of the repercussions that she could face if her wish was successful.
She responded that she is aware and stands by her words. “I know that this matter will be reinstated if it is withdrawn,” she said.
Following her testimony, Magistrate Mmesi was appalled by the utterances made, labeling women as part of the problem in the fight against the scourge of GBV. Mmesi further highlighted that the trend of withdrawing these types of cases is spiraling out of control.
“This week alone, I withdrew four cases of GBV, and you are making it difficult for us,” Mmesi said. Magistrate warned Motswakadikgwa that if the problem persists, she must not run to the courts or the police.
“This is not right, and next time don’t go to CPS (police), you will figure out where to go because these types of cases always end up in murder,” the magistrate warned. In the end, the Magistrate granted the woman her wishes and withdrew the matter.