Insecurity Flimsy Excuse For Girlfriend's Murder - Judge
Lebogang Mosikare | Monday June 14, 2021 17:12
Nyamadzabo said this on Friday when delivering judgement in a case in which Neo Mongaka, popularly known as ‘Mantshwabisi’ in social circles, was found guilty of murdering Keoagile Malebeswa at Mosinyi ward in Marobela village on February 27, 2017. The postmortem report showed that Malebeswa sustained 24 external stab wounds in addition to multiple internal ones.
Nyamadzabo said Mongaka submitted that he murdered Malebeswa in self-defence adding that, that was implausible since there were a lot of inconsistencies in Mongaka’s evidence vis-a-vis evidence of state witnesses.
“In his evidence, Mongaka said that the deceased invited him to come from Maun to Marobela where she was working because one of his children was not feeling well. He said that after he arrived in Marobela, the deceased told him that she no longer wanted him because she was now in love with another man who had more money than him. The accused said that he was of the expectation that the deceased will knock off at 2pm as promised since she had started work at 6am that fateful day. He also said that when the deceased did not return home towards midnight that day, he went to check her at work but found her busy with her workmates,” Nyamadzabo said.
However, the judge stated that when he closely examined the evidence of the accused, he found that it was riddled with inconsistencies that called into question its substance.
“The accused never alluded to bloodstains in the bedroom but said that the stabbing happened in the kitchen. This evidence remains uncontroverted. The accused said that the deceased’s injuries might have been caused by broken items in the kitchen that fell during a scuffle. Given that he said that he fell on the floor whereupon the deceased got on top of him, he did not state why he did not sustain injuries more so that he stated that he was not wearing anything on his upper body,” Nyamadzabo clarified. The accused, Nyamadzabo added, never told his cousin in Gaborone when he wanted to hand himself over to the police why he did not sustain injuries during the scuffle with his girlfriend.
“The accused only told his cousin that he had a misunderstanding with his girlfriend and he ended up stabbing her with a knife. Neither did he tell Constable Modipe that. The accused also did not leave the house when there was an opportunity to do so. This shows that he was on a mission to grievously harm the deceased. Evidence also shows that the deceased was at all times at work and not frolicking with another man as the accused suspected,” Nyamadzabo said. This, Nyamadzabo explained, points to the fact that the accused did not murder the deceased in self-defence as he said.
“Instead it shows that the accused intended to cause grievous bodily harm to the deceased just because he suspected that she had another man. However, the evidence before the court shows that the deceased knocked off at around 2am on February 28, 2017, with the accused. Therefore, the result is that the state has proved its case against the accused beyond any reasonable doubt. His submission of self-defence is false beyond reasonable doubt and I consequently find him guilty of murder,” Nyamadzabo said.
Nyamadzabo revoked Mongaka’s bail peding submisson of extenuationg circumstances.