Charges against �bogus� Ugandan herbalist dropped
Lebogang Mosikare | Wednesday February 25, 2015 11:04
The accused, Martin Maiso, obtained P12,000 from Rachel Setlhare on February 3 at Somerset location after she responded to an advert in a local newspaper saying that Maiso was a herbalist who could cure various ailments and also help women who could not conceive.
Setlhare reported the matter to the police after she did not conceive as promised by Maiso.
Appearing in court on Tuesday, Setlhare told Principal Magistrate Sijabuliso Siziba that she was withdrawing charges against Maiso because he had refunded her the P12,000 that he took from her the previous day on Monday.
“Maiso paid back the P12,000 that he took from me under the pretext that he would unblock my fallopian tubes but failed.
I am applying for the matter to be withdrawn because I got my money back,” said Setlhare.
Before Siziba withdrew the matter, he advised Setlhare to be careful next time because bogus herbalists have swindled a lot of people of their hard earned cash in the past.
Turning to Maiso, the magistrate told him that the allegations he was charged with were serious in nature and attracted a sentence of seven years in jail if one was found guilty.
“Ensure that if you allegedly committed what you are charged with it was the first and last time you committed it.
“If you come to this court on similar charges in future, I am not going to allow reconciliation.
You are accordingly discharged from the offence,” said Siziba. Maiso was initially charged with a fellow Ugandan, Allen Mukasi, and a local, Vuma Munyamani, who were the first to be discharged from the offence.
Meanwhile, trial dates have been set in a case in which an Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) politician, Theresa Mmolawa is charged with common assault and evicting her daughter from their family home at Molapo Estates.
Mmolawa will appear in court on April 27 for mention and will be tried on June 26.
The state alleges that Mmolawa poked her daughter Gosego Pumive Mmolawa on the forehead at their family home of Molapo Estates on February 10.
The state also alleges that Mmolawa on February 10, failed to obey a court order issued by Siziba on January 15 prohibiting her from evicting Gosego from her Molapo Estates homestead.
Mmolawa has pleaded not guilty to the charges. She appeared before Senior Magistrate Thebeetsile Mulalu after the initial magistrate who presided over the matter, Siziba, recused himself from the matter citing that Mmolawa may feel that he may be biased against her since he was the one who ruled that Mmolawa should not evict Gosego from her home.