Lawyer Shocked At Execution Of His Client

Goitsemodimo Kaelo | Monday February 19, 2018 16:56

 

The Gaborone High Court sentenced Tselayarona to death on March 10, 2017 for the murder of his girlfriend, Ngwanyanaotsile Keikanne and her three-year-old son, Miguel Keikanne in 2010 in Molepolole. 

He was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the murder of his girlfriend after the court found extenuating circumstances, but was given the death penalty for the murder of her son.

The 28-year-old Tselayarona was hanged as he awaited a response to his application for clemency from the President. 

Assistant Commissioner of Prisons, Wamorena Ramolefhe announced the execution of Tselayarona on Saturday.

Ramolefhe stated that his execution was carried out at Gaborone Central Prison in the early hours of February 17, 2018.

Tselayarona’s execution comes just days after President Ian Khama’s remarks at one of his farewell meetings in Palapye that he supports the death penalty and has no plans to abolish it.

At the meeting, Khama remarked that capital punishment remains a solution to curbing the growing incidents of murder that have overwhelmed the country of recent.

He said murderers would only stop killing people when they know they are destined for the hangman’s noose. He said without capital punishment innocent people would die like flies just like in some countries that shun the law. 

Khama stated that government would continue to turn a deaf ear to efforts by human rights groups that value the lives of the murderers over their victims.  He made it clear that there would be no room in this country for murderers.

“We want to save the lives of our people and we cannot live in a country with others who choose to kill our innocent people,” he said.

“The government cannot afford to keep murderers in jail like other groups that protect the rights of people who want us to.  We can’t afford to feed people over years for killing innocent people,” he added.

In a brief interview with The Monitor, Tselayarona’s attorney Kesegofetse Molosiwa expressed shock at the execution of his client stating that they were still awaiting response for his clemency application.

“It’s shocking that my client was executed while there has not been any communication regarding the application for clemency that we made. I only learnt about the execution from a friend who showed me an announcement made by Prisons on social media. It’s very disturbing, the least they could have done was to respond and tell us that we have not been successful. We have to engage government on this matter,” Molosiwa said.

Molosiwa further said in view of what Khama had been quoted saying about the death penalty, their chances for clemency were slim.