Uncle turns against Masilo in rape and robbery case
Sharon Mathala | Monday September 1, 2014 11:11
In his first police statement, Mohutshiwa reportedly said he and Masilo’s mother, Victoria Masilo, were in Shoshong on August 9, 2012, which he later retracted.
In his testimony, Mashabile (41) told Chief Magistrate Linah Oahile-Mokibe that he was on duty at the Gaborone West Police Station on the said date. He said they received a call shortly after noon, informing them that a woman had been assaulted in Phase 4.
“We were told that she had been stabbed with a sharp instrument. I set off to the mentioned house in the company of some other police officers. We found a man who identified himself as the brother to the victim,” he said. “The man told us that he had found a stranger in the living room holding a blood stained knife. He also said there were visible blood stains, on the walls and floor. The man told us that he had wrestled with the intruder, and overpowered him. It was then that he went outside to seek help. When he returned, he found that the stranger had escaped through the kitchen door,” he said.
Mashabile further said they went to Block 9 clinic where they found the victim being attended to by a doctor.
“She was weak and unable to speak. I later spoke to her and that’s when she narrated that the stranger had come in to ask if they had a servants’ quarters for rent. She said the man asked for water to drink, before attacking her,” he stated.
Mashabile said this made their investigations easier, because they were aware that the prepetator used the same tactic during a separate incident. “He asks women who are alone in the house if there is a place available to rent. He then asks for a glass of water before attacking them,” he said.
The detective further told the court that from August to October they had no leads. He, however, said on November 18, 2012 the victim and her brother came to the police station with a newspaper and identified the man in an article as the assailant. Mashabile said at the time, Masilo was held at the Moshupa Boys’ Prison.
He further said on April 13, 2013, he received an alibi that Masilo was not in Gaborone on the day of the alleged crimes but was in Shoshong where his mother was a teacher.
“I recorded a statement from his mother who said that apart from her, his uncle Mompoloki Mohutshiwa was also there. I then contacted Mohutshiwa for statement recording, which also stated that they were in Shoshong with Masilo on the day,” he explained.
Mashabile said that several days later he was called by the Palapye Police Station and informed that a certain Mohutsiwa was withdrawing his earlier statement.
“I then followed him where I obtained a detailed statement from him. This time he said he was not in Shoshong on that day with Masilo but was rather in Palapye. This then meant that the previous alibi was untrue, which meant that Masilo was in Gaborone on the date of offence. I then proceeded to charge Masilo with rape and robbery,” he said.
The trial continues on September 25, when defence lawyer Kgosietsile Ngakaagae will cross-examine the last state witness. Attorney Kutlo Tsekane represents the state.