Accused alleges torture

Lindiwe Mozola | Wednesday August 2, 2017 16:41

 

Rabobana Moetelamarapo made the protestation during his trial. This was after one of the state witnesses told the court that Moetelamarapo admitted before the police that he committed the offence.

It is alleged that between August 28, 2011 and August 29, 2011 Moetelamarapo broke into Lalamoteng bar in Matlhakola village using a sharp object and stole items valued at P1,400.80.

During the trial, the state witness Pabalelo Rampha, who was the employee at Lalamoteng bar at the time of the offence, told the court that on August 29, 2011 she closed the bar at 10pm in the evening and the following morning she found the burglar doors (of the bar) destroyed.

“It appeared that the person who broke into the bar used a heavy object to open the burglars since they were destroyed. Upon entering the bar, I realised that the snooker pool was destroyed as well and a total of P80 which was inside was taken. After further inspection, I also found out that a lot of beers were missing as well as a total of P500 from the duke box,” she said.

She added that on September 7, 2011 she was summoned by the police at Matlhakola Customary Court to come and identify some of the stolen properties found in the accused’s possession.

Rampha said she was with several other complainants who came to identify their stolen properties that the police said they found in possession of the accused.

“It was then that I identified the Motorola cellphone which was also missing from the bar during the break-in.”

She said the cellphone was taken out by the accused from his bag alongside other properties in which he and in the process confessed that he is the one who broke into Lalamoteng bar and stole it alongside other missing properties.

She said: “He however told us that he used all the cash he took from the bar and drank all the beers (he allegedly stole).

We further went to the bar with the police where the accused further confessed that he was the one who destroyed the snooker pool and the burglar using a pick.”

But the accused dismissed Rampha’s allegations and alleged that after severe torture he was instructed by the police to remove the items in the bag and tell the complainants that he was the one who stole them.