I was just helping a friend – Moremong on Sefalana robbery
Larona Makhaiza | Tuesday June 9, 2026 14:13
Taking the stand before Village Senior Magistrate Tshepo Thedi in the ongoing Sefalana robbery trial, Moremong distanced himself from the November 25, 2022, attack, repeatedly telling the court that he had no knowledge of the robbery plans and was merely helping a friend, Leatile Modise.
'I don't know anything. It happened because I was only there assisting Leatile, not acting in common purpose,' Moremong told the court.
Narrating events leading up to the robbery, Moremong said his day started with a phone call from Modise, who instructed him to go to Phase 4 and wait outside Sedibeng, where a woman would hand him a vehicle.
'I found a lady who was driving a RunX. I didn't ask her for her name,' he testified.
After collecting the vehicle, he drove to Modise in Phase 2, and the pair went their separate ways before Modise allegedly returned between 4pm and 5pm, accompanied by four men unknown to him.
According to Moremong, Modise instructed him to transport the men to Sefalana in Gaborone West Industrial, saying they were going to meet someone there whilst he attended to a matter at Gaborone West Police Station.
'He came with four men, and I was the fifth. He asked me to go with these four men to Sefalana by driving them there as they were to meet someone there,' he said.
What followed would become one of the bloodiest robbery incidents in Botswana's recent history.
Moremong said shortly after arriving at Sefalana parking outside the store, one of the men instructed him to reposition the vehicle. Moments later, a G4S cash-in-transit vehicle arrived, and two of the four men got off.
'The remaining two rushed to the security officers and attacked them. I heard gunshots and people screaming, and everything happened fast,' he recalled.
Realising something was terribly wrong, Moremong said he fled from the vehicle and sought cover underneath a nearby blue Honda Fit.
'I got out of the car because I saw the men I came with attack security officers, and gunshots went off,' he testified.
He said police officers later found him hiding under the vehicle before placing him under arrest.
'Police came back and put me in handcuffs, saying I was one of those who attacked the security officers,' he said.
Throughout his testimony, Moremong maintained that he had no knowledge of the planned robbery and denied allegations that he acted together with the attackers.
'If I knew what was going to happen, I wouldn't have gone there,' he told the court.
The accused also questioned why Modise, whom he describes as the central figure linking everyone involved, was never brought before the court.
'Ever since this matter happened, Leatile has never appeared. I gave the police his number, a South African one, and they even saw our chats,' he said.
Moremong further claimed that investigators showed little interest in pursuing Modise.
'They had no interest in Leatile. Their only interest was that I knew what was happening and that I was lying to them,' he said.
During a tense cross-examination, Prosecutor Pascale Mohandu challenged his version of events, suggesting that the story involving Modise was fabricated.
'There is no Leatile who told you to go collect the car,' Mohandu put to the accused. But Moremong stood firm. 'He exists,' he responded.
The prosecution also highlighted that after his arrest, Moremong declined to give a statement to police and signed a warning and caution statement. He explained that the decision stemmed from a lack of trust in investigators.
'When they asked me for a statement, I wanted to write it myself because they can twist things,' he said.
The case stems from the dramatic November 2022 armed robbery at Sefalana in Gaborone West Industrial, where heavily armed suspects targeted a cash-in-transit delivery. The robbery quickly escalated into a fierce exchange of gunfire involving members of the Botswana Police Service.
By the end of the operation, four suspected robbers had been shot dead. Tragically, one innocent civilian, a CEDA employee, was also killed after being caught in the crossfire, prompting public debate over the conduct of the operation and the loss of civilian lives. Moremong remains the sole surviving accused linked to the robbery.
With the defence case now closed, Magistrate Thedi directed the State to file final submissions by June 22, whilst the defence is expected to respond by July 6. Judgment has been set for July 30, potentially bringing to a close a case that has gripped the nation for nearly four years.