Illness �frees� two suspected killers

Sharon Mathala | Tuesday March 8, 2016 14:51

 

Caroline Gwamolamba, 38, and Bakang Godisang, 26, got bail after their lawyers told Chief Magistrate Monashe Ndlovu that prison conditions worsened the illnesses of the accused women.

The prosecution said Gwamolamba and Godisang burnt the house in which two sisters: Tuelo Mokgalo and Kgalalelo Motlogelwa were sleeping at Block Three in Gaborone. Mokgalo and Motlogelwa died at Princess Marina Hospital on December 31, 2015 and on January 1, 2016. One of the sisters gave birth shortly before they died.

Godisang had been appearing alone for mention while Gwamolamba, who appeared for the first time last week, was undergoing chemotherapy in South Africa. Relatives of both the accused persons and the dead women thronged the court.

It surfaced in court that the investigating officer had not yet written his statement because he was awaiting forensic results.

The prosecutor, sub inspector, Onkemetse Gaboutlwelwe, applied for the accused women to remand prisons while the investigating officer concludes his statement.

Gaboutlwelwe said: “It is for their personal safety. We as the police have received intelligence that the public is still agitated over the offence the accused persons are accused of. We fear that the public may take the law into their own hands. The safest place for them is in prison.”

McBain Kaang, the defence lawyer for Gwamolamba, countered: “The fact that members of the public are still agitated is misplaced. It is on record that the first accused, Gwamolamba, is very sickly. Her condition of health is known by this court. She has not appeared in court for previous mentions because she had to seek medical attention. More time in prison may aggravate the situation.”

Kaang said the submission that the suspects are safest in jail is not substantiated with fact.

Godisang’s lawyers, Herbert Sikhakhane, argued that his client had knee problem that needed to be checked by a doctor daily.

“The police agree that there is no how they will interfere with investigation if granted bail,” he said.

Sikhakhane asked how long would they be agitated.

Gwamolamba would appear for mention again on April 28.