Former BCL Mine employee convicted of murder
Lebogang Mosikare | Tuesday August 18, 2020 14:43
The convict, dreadlocked Khumoetsile Mantswe, 36, was found guilty of intentionally killing his girlfriend, Masedi Tshime, on December 30, 2016 at Lesenepole village in the Central Administrative District of Botswana.
Mantswe murdered Tshime, the mother of his two children, following a relationship dispute after Mantswe lost his job at BCL Mine following the closure of the mine.
Mantswe’s lawyer, Kesegofetse Molosiwa told Justice Bengbame Sechele that during the court’s last sitting, the defence requested a court order directing the production of a report by a psychiatric expert Dr Masunda which they would use as part of their extenuating circumstances.
“Since BCL Mine is in liquidation, it was very difficult for us to serve anybody but we ended up succeeding to serve BCL Mine… We only received Dr Masunda’s report this morning. It is for this reason that we informed the learned State counsel [Chimbisani] Sechele that we will need time to familiarise ourselves with the report. We therefore humbly pray with the court to indulge us and give us at least up to September 2 to familiarise ourselves with the expert’s report,” Molosiwa pleaded.
Justice Sechele then said that for reasons advanced by the defence, the matter would be postponed to September 2 to afford the defence counsel an opportunity to appraise himself with the contents of the expert’s report and thereafter hear extenuating circumstances in the matter.
In the past, the leadership of Botswana Mine Workers Union had lamented about the closure of BCL Mine that has left the former mine workers with socio-economic pressures that have led them to divorce their spouses and commit suicide in some instances.