How Meswele Survived Ex-Husband's Hitmen

Pini Bothoko | Monday February 26, 2018 17:23

 

The 39-year old Dimpho Meswele, a teacher at Naledi Senior Secondary School and Legwale met back in 2006 and in 2008 they tied the knot, but their marriage did not last as they divorced barely seven years after the marriage.

Meswele filed for divorce in June 2015 as her marriage had already collapsed as her husband had deserted their matrimonial home. Legwale refused to sign the divorce papers, allegedly because of the house that Meswele was still paying as she had taken a mortgage to build it.

Meswele, however went on with her divorce plans, which enraged her ex-husband, who is alleged to have started plotting her death, but the hired ‘killers’ accidentally killed her sister according to information provided by the police after arresting him and one of the hitman last Tuesday as the main suspects in the murder.

During her ex-husband’s appearance in court last week Thursday, Meswele told The Monitor that she was happy that finally justice would be served for her sister’s death.

The Monitor later visited Meswele at her place at Naledi senior, where she disclosed how she had all along been aware of her ex-husband’s plots to kill her way before their divorce.

“He had organised hitmen to kill me, but failed until they mistakenly killed my sister back in September 2015. We did not have any investments that I could be killed for, but the only thing that he had all along been uncomfortable with, was the house that I took a mortgage to build at his inherited plot in Mochudi village. When I told him about my divorce plans he was worried about the house, and I suggested to him that he could buy me out but he refused. I suspect that he wanted to kill me so that he could take over that house and my life savings benefits,” Meswele said.

Even after her divorce, Meswele lived a miserable life in fear of her ex-husband who attempted to kill her several times until she booked herself at a women’s shelter absconding her work for almost nine months.

Meswele lived a miserable life following several attempts. She said she tried to cry out for help to the police, but they could not arrest the ex-husband,stating that the evidence was not enough prosecute him.

Before things turned sour, Legwale was a loving husband, but he later deserted their matrimonial home.

“I asked for a divorce, because I could not live in denial like a married woman while my husband was living somewhere else, but sadly I didn’t know that I was putting myself in danger. In the past, another hitman tried to shoot me here at the teachers’ quarters with a gun, but luckily I fought back and he dropped the gun and ran away,” Meswele said.

The attempt on her life forced her to move out of her teachers’ quarter’s house to seek safe haven somewhere else, something that forced her ex-husband to request an appointment with her at Urban police station (in Gaborone South) after searching for her to no avail.

“On the 9th September 2015, the day before my sister’s death, Legwale failed to turn up for the meeting that he had arranged at the police station. I ended up leaving the police station late in the evening nervous, especially that the police had refused to escort me home like I had suggested. I told the police that I suspect that my ex-husband was somewhere near hiding to spot me and follow me up from the police station, but they did not believe me,” Meswele said.

Shockingly, after leaving the police station on her way to Tlokweng she noticed that a white Corolla was following her, but she turned and drove elsewhere.

“I decided to drive to my parents at Oodi village, but when approaching the village, I discovered that the same Corolla was following me and drove faster to reach home. When turning into the yard, the car passed. In the morning, we were attacked and my sister lost her life.

“It was around 5pm when my sister, Thato went out of the house to fetch water and I escorted her. Immediately when she stepped out of the door the hitman attacked her I screamed and he ran away. I was shocked to realise my sister was bleeding because it happened so quickly and never thought he could have hurt her,” Meswele said.

Meswele said the hitman jumped the fence like he was jumping a small stone and got into a white Corolla car that appeared to have been parked metres away from their yard.

“When I saw the white Corolla it clicked that last evening I was followed by a similar Corolla from Gaborone. I reported the matter to the police and told them that I suspect that my then husband was behind the attack, but they detained him for four days and later released him due to lack of evidence. My guts had all along told me that Legwale was behind my sister’s attack, but I am happy that finally justice will be served,” Meswele said.

Last Thursday Legwale and his co-accused, one of the alleged hitmen, Hamadi Nkhuha, 47 from Zimbabwe appeared before Broadhurst Chief magistrate Faith Ngandu for their arraignment following their recent arrest. It took the police two years to detect Legwale’s alleged plot to kill his ex-wife. Court revealed that the duo is facing a single count of murder, committed on September 10, 2015 at Lekwarapana ward in Oodi village.

The police allege that the duo acting together and in concert murdered Thato Meswele. Giving evidence, the investigating officer (IO), detective Senior Superintendent Sergeant Marapo, told court that back in 2015 they received a report from Dimpho notifying them about the attack by unknown culprits.

He revealed that the police rushed to the scene and took Thato Meswele to Princess Marina Hospital where she was hospitalised and passed away after four days.

He said she had sustained a wound on the back of her head after she was hit with a hard object. Marapo said in 2016 they received a report that Legwale might have been behind her death, but the information was not enough to arrest him.

“In April 2017, I received another information that Thato was killed by Nkhuha and the other not before court by the name of Dzichanaka Davie and we have been looking for them since then.

Later on, our investigations established that on the 23rd January, 2017, Davie crossed to Zimbabwe. On the 19th February, 2018 we received information that Nkhuha was seen and now residing at Mmopane village. We followed him, arrested him and brought him to Broadhurst police where he confessed to the murder of Thato and wrote a confession statement.

He disclosed to have been hired together with Davie by Legwale to kill his then wife, Dimpho but mistakenly killed her sister,” Marapo said.

He said Legwale was arrested and he denied ever having hired the duo to kill his ex-wife, but instead he had sent them to plant a baboon head at his ex-wife’s yard at Oodi on claims that it will fix their love relationship.

“Nkhuha confessed that Legwale paid them P15, 000 each and gave them a BMW car dismissing his (Legwale)’s claims of a baboon.

He disclosed that Legwale organised a white Corolla and he also brought them phones to use for the operation,” Marapo said. Marapo pleaded with the court to remand the duo, as investigations into the matter were still fresh and they were yet to reach and interview possible witnesses.

He told the court that he feared that if they can be released on bail Legwale, who alleged to have disclosed names of targeted people to a traditional doctor, might pursue his plans of eliminating them.

“We are yet to locate the alleged traditional doctor, establish the targeted people and record his statement.

If released on bail, the duo might interfere with our investigations, especially that it took us two years to detect and arrest them.

We arrested them two days ago, hence pleading with the court to give prosecution enough time to investigate the matter,” Marapo said.

The duo was further remanded in court and due on March 8, 2018.