Mmashoro man arraigned on murder charge
Lebogang Mosikare | Wednesday June 24, 2020 19:40
The accused, Gaoagelwe Kelaetswe allegedly murdered Keithetsemang Onneile at Mmashoro village in the Central District in 2015.
According to evidence adduced in court, Gaoagelwe killed Onneile following an alcohol-drinking spree using an axe at the homestead of his parents.
When asked by state attorney Bianca Ockhuizen, the second prosecution witness, Baboloki Kelaetswe, who is Gaoagelwe’s elder sister said that on that fateful day, the accused, deceased and one Mmereki, who is the father of her elder sister’s children came home in the evening after a drinking binge.
She said that after the trio arrived, the accused and deceased did not appear to have any quarrel.
Baboloki added that after sometime while the trio was seated at the fireplace, the deceased started assaulting his girlfriend, Montiradilo Kelaetswe, with a burning log until she fainted.
“I don’t know why the deceased assaulted Montiradilo. I only heard Montiradilo asking me how can someone kill her in my presence while I seat around and do nothing. She had said so after rising from fainting. The deceased then said he was deliberately assaulting Montiradilo and dared anyone who cared to help her. The deceased also hurled insults at us and our parents saying that he was not afraid of killing anyone,” Baboloki said.
Baboloki then said that while the deceased was still hurling profanities, she heard an axe-like sound as if the accused was chopping the deceased with an axe, but she did not see the person who was using the axe because she immediately escaped to the yard of her neighbour.
“… I heard the sound of an axe, but I did not see the person who was using it. I ran away because I did not know what Gaoagelwe would do with the axe afterwards,” Baboloki said.
Quizzed further by Ockhuizen if she saw the accused chopping the deceased with an axe, Baboloki answered in the affirmative.
Baboloki later told the court under cross-examination from the accused’s attorney Luanda Antonio that the deceased was in the habit of assaulting Montiradilo
She added that her family members were afraid of the deceased to the extent that he even used to assault Montiradilo in the presence of their late parents.
Another state witness, Kedibonye Seleke told the court that she lives about 40 metres away from the Kelaetswes.
Seleke said that after Baboloki escaped to her place, Baboloki asked her (Seleke) if she did hear sounds that were coming from the direction of her parents’ yard.
The court then heard that when Seleke answered in the affirmative, Baboloki told her that it was the sound of an axe that Gaoagelwe was using to chop the deceased with.
Seleke also told the court that she could hear the deceased groaning all the way from one Chocolate’s yard, which shares a boundary with the Kelaetswe.
Seleke added that at one point they gorily watched as Gaoagelwe continued to hack away at the deceased each time he found that he was still alive.
The case continues.