P40,000 bail for murder accused

Tumelo Mouwane | Friday February 12, 2016 14:04

 

The trio Trevour Vandirayi, Tawanda Makufara and Augastine Tembo are alleged to have on August 5, 2014 stabbed Elisha Eyitato with a sharp object before charging on his father at Village, Gaborone, in a violent robbery. The trio on several occasions unsuccessfully applied for bail at the magistrate’s court before approaching the High Court. In his arguments Vandirayi denied knowledge of the offence. “I plead with this court to grant me bail since I have nothing to do with the said offence. I was only arrested because I made an attempt to register my friend’s sim-card since he did not have a passport at that particular time,” Vandirayi said.

Prosecutor Mooketsi Tebogo of the Directorate of Public Prosecutions argued that the accused person was a flight risk therefore did not qualify for bail. “The accused person had earlier applied for bail before a different High Court judge and the application was dismissed. He does not have a permanent place of aboard and he doesn’t have a permit to stay in Botswana,” Tebogo argued.  Tebogo further said the accused person does not work in Botswana therefore nothing was going to keep him in the country. The officer further argued that the accused’s passport was not genuine.  “The investigating officer in the case informed me that the accused person’s passport was not valid hence he is a flight risk,” Tebogo argued. Acting Justice Dube granted the accused person bail on the condition that he should report to the nearest police station every Monday and Friday, pay a recognisance of P20,000 and find two sureties who will pay P10,000 each, before his release from custody. The accused person was also ordered not to travel out of the country until his case is completed.