�Mayor runs berserk�

Kgomotso Molelekeng | Monday February 24, 2014 16:48

 

The incident was on Saturday registered with Woodhall police in Lobatse, according to the victims. The local police authorities refused to cooperate with The Monitor team.

The station commander, Tebogo Madisa, said he could not help The Monitor concernin the mayor’s assault case as he was off duty until monday.

The alleged victims, Shana Sebinyane and Kopi Moderida, however told The Monitor that they were verbally and physically assaulted by the mayor simply because they recently decamped from her party where they were also part of her campaign team, and joined the rival Botswana Congress Party (BCP).

They claim the mayor, who is also a businesswoman, chased them around in her car at a location called Botoka, and followed them into their yards where she allegedly verbally abused them, confiscated and tore their BCP registration forms, took away t-shirts, and left them with bruised egos.

“I was having breakfast when the mayor barged in without knocking, she started threatening me telling me how much of a traitor I am and how disappointed she is with me,” Sebinyane said.

Sebinyane added that the mayor was in tears when she shouted and accused her of betrayal. Apparently the mayor bemoaned the fact that she trusted Sebinyane and looked up to her as a sister.

“She said she trusted us to be on her side and was shocked when she heard people saying me of all people had decided to start following BCP. She said I should be loyal to her given the fact that she is the one who helped me get a job,” explained Sebinyane.

The two women both admitted they have been helping Lesang with her campaigns until they decided to join another party. “We are free to change our minds and that is exactly what we did; we do not hate her,” they said.

An eyewitness Keolebogile Roomane told The Monitor that he has never seen Lesang behave the way she did on Friday. “She is normally a nice lady who greets us but on this day she looked very angry and sad,” he said. The two victims of the mayor’s outrage, accompanied by other BCP members reported the matter to Woodhall Police Station on Saturday morning. When contacted, Lesang denied the allegations and told The Monitor that she never took anything from anybody’s house but admitted knowing the two alleged victims. “This is my first time hearing of this story and I do not know why people are trying to tarnish my name like this. I have not been to those women’s houses nor took anything from them,” she said. When asked what she was doing on Friday morning, the mayor retorted, “Are you investigating me now, but remember that you are a woman like me and you should consider that when you write your story,”