Instant whipping for street gambler
Nnasaretha Kgamanyane | Thursday May 8, 2014 10:59
Police officers pounced on the Molepolole man while he was gambling using three red bottle tops under the bridge near the Gaborone Bus Rank. Kgari and his associates were engaged in a popular but illegal gambling trick where members of the public are asked to guess under which bottle top a coin is.
When approached by the police, the gang bolted, but Kgari was caught. A subsequent police search uncovered the three red bottle caps and P170.
Kgari was then arrested and arraigned before Urban Customary Court president, Dikwalo Monametsi.
In his defence, the convict said he had resorted to illegal street gambling because he is not employed but he had to take care of his family. He pleaded for leniency, saying he had two children, a wife and a sick parent to take care of. He vowed to look for legitimate employment and never indulge in illegal activities. Monametsi slapped Kgari with a one-year jail term suspended for three years and four strokes.
“Look for a job instead of cheating people with illegal gambling,” he told the convict. The seized money was forfeited to the state.