Mojanki appears for murder trial continuance

Lebogang Mosikare | Wednesday September 18, 2019 11:16

 

On Monday, Mojanki through his attorney Kgololesego Segabo lost an interlocutory application to appeal the ruling of a trial within a trial on the admissibility or inadmissibility of electronic evidence and the confession statement that Mojanki gave to Pastor Milidzani Sox of the Breath of Life Church. 

Justice Lot Moroka had previously ruled the electronic evidence Mojanki gave to Pastor Sox was admissible in court. 

During continuation of trial yesterday, constable Orapeleng Mosalakatane told the court in her evidence in chief that she came to know Mojanki while on a trip at Bisoli village between November 25 to 27, 2013 and January 9, 2014. 

“On a date I can’t remember, I was on duty with constable Jane from 2pm to 10pm.  Jane worked as a police officer at Central Police Station in Francistown.  A certain car, which I knew belonged to Queen Nnewe, a police officer, approached the roadblock we were manning.  Mojanki was driving the car… One of the passengers in the car was Nnewe, an officer based at Goshwe,” Mosalakatane said. 

On January 3 in 2014, Mosalakatane said, she was on duty from 10pm to 6am with constable Modisakgosi of Tshesebe Police Station. 

“At around 11pm, the same car that belonged to Nnewe approached the roadblock that we were manning. Modisakgosi stopped the car and inspected it. He told the driver to pull over.  He discovered that one the car’s lights was not working… Before Mojanki reached me, I asked him to whom the car belonged to and he told me that it was his.  I asked him if the car did not belonging to Nnewe and he later changed his earlier version saying that it indeed belonged to Nnewe… The car was coming from Francistown heading towards Ramokgwebana border post,” Mosalakatane said. 

When cross-examined by Segabo, Mosalakatane said the number plate of the car was B 817 AAN. 

“I knew the number plate of the car since I was working with constable Nnewe at the same police station.  I didn’t know that Mojanki and Nnewe were in love.  Except for the defective light, nothing was wrong with the car.  I didn’t know the deceased and I don’t know if the accused played any part in her death,” Mosalakatane said. 

Another state witness, detective inspector Chajiwa Majebe said he came to know the accused on January 8, 2014. 

“I was assigned by the then station commander of Gerald police Masego Mathitha to investigate the missing of Bokani Socks who used to work at Nyangabgwe Referral Hospital. It was alleged that Socks went missing on January 2, 2014 when she last went to work. As a result of this report, I involved Socks’s parents and asked them to assist with her whereabouts. Socks’s parents indicated to me their suspicion over Mojanki knowing something about her whereabouts since he was in love with Socks,” Majebe said.

He continued: “I also decided to involve Socks’s landlord Ibrahim Nyathi who lives at New Stands in Tati Siding to assist me with Socks’s whereabouts. I did so because Socks was staying at Nyathi’s place in Tati Siding. Nyathi had no spare keys to Socks’s rented house. Nyathi gave us permission to break into and enter the house. After breaking into and entering the house, we found that Socks’s bed was made. Other police officers, Nyathi and relatives of the deceased accompanied me.” 

A Khaki envelope placed on top of the bed was found, said Majebe. 

“Three words (Do not bend) were written on the envelope. We also observed that a hand written note with the words ‘Left home on 03/01/2014 at 18:02 to see Atlholang Mojanki at Galo Mall’ were written on a note.  We then made an assumption that the note was written by Socks because as earlier indicated, Mojanki was in love with Socks.  I took the envelope for further investigation. We then went back to the office and upon arrival we saw the accused with his parents. The accused said that he came to the police station because he heard that police from Gerald were looking for him,” Majebe said. 

Thereafter, Majebe told the court that he informed Mojanki he was being investigated for the whereabouts of Socks. 

“The accused told me that he used to be in love with Socks but was clueless about where she was. Immediately, detective superintendent Jibi who was my senior arrived and I handed him the matter to lead the investigation,” Majebe said. 

At that juncture, Segabo objected saying what Majebe stated in his evidence in chief was different from his police statement. 

Said Segabo: “Initially, you said that the note read as ‘Left home on 03/01/2014 at 18:02 to see Atlholang at Galo Mall’ assuming that the note was written by the deceased but you are now saying the note read as ‘Left home on 03/01/14 to meet Atlholang Mojanki at Galo Mall’. Why is there a difference between the words ‘see’ and ‘meet’ in the versions that you said in your evidence in chief and police statement?”

In response, Majebe said there may be a difference between what he said in court and what he said in his police statement because those were the words he could remember. 

Majebe added that according to him, the words ‘see’ and ‘meet’ carry a similar meaning. 

He went on: “There is also no difference with the way the dates are written on the note and the way I said they were written in court. 03/01/14 and 03/01/2014 are the same…” 

Following Majebe’s testimony, prosecutor Carlos Diwundu asked the court to adjourn since the prosecution was not able to avail five other witnesses. 

The case continues today until the end of the week.