Soldier guilty of malicious damage to property
Lebogang Mosikare | Wednesday October 14, 2015 15:20
When he appeared before principal magistrate Dumisani Basupi, the soldier, Oteng Makgetho (28) based at Area S camp, admitted to damaging eight windows at Monkgogi Mpolokeng’s house at Ntshe location on October 1, 2015.
According to facts read before court, Makgetho, who holds the rank of a private, went berserk after his girlfriend told him that she no longer wanted to continue their love relationship.
Makgetho did not take the news well and went to his girlfriend’s place where he took a brick and eventually broke eight windows in an attempt to enter the house forcefully.
The brick was produced in court as part of evidence.
The noise awoke Mpolokeng who spotted the soldier outside her house.
In his testimony, Makgetho conceded that he had no legal justification for damaging the windows.
“My girlfriend was refusing to open the door for me so I ended up breaking the windows in order to get inside the house. I had no legal justification of doing so,” said Makgetho who looked down for most part of the proceedings when the facts were read to him.
The court heard that the soldier had already paid P905 in damages for the windows.
Makgetho added: “I damaged the windows unintentionally and I realise that I did not do the right thing. That is why I replaced them.”
Basupi told the accused that he would be remanded in custody, as he was now a convict.
“You shall appear in court on October 23 for mitigation and sentence,” said Basupi.
Makgetho is also facing a charge of threat to kill and assault before Principal Magistrate Sijabuliso Siziba.
In the assault case, the state alleges that the soldier assaulted former ECCO City Greens and Zebras striker Malepa ‘Chippa’ Bolelang.
In the threat to kill case, Makgetho allegedly threatened to kill his girlfriend after she told him that they should end their relationship.