Gabane murder suspects fail to raise bail money
Pini Bothoko | Wednesday August 9, 2017 16:57
The accused, Pauline Masuge (23), Tuduetso Mogopodi (23) and Lesego Kgatlwane (26) were yesterday further remanded in custody after failing to raise money to pay for their bail.
The trio were on July 24, 2017 granted bail, together with their fellow accused person, Kelebogile Lenake (23) who managed to raise the money and currently out on bail. The quartet is alleged to have on June 3, 2017 at Gabane village killed a 25-year old man from Salajwe, who had accused them of stealing his wallet at a bar in Gabane. According to the facts before court, on that fateful day, the deceased followed the accused after an argument in the bar as they walked away. They allegedly turned on him and hit him with a blunt object beside the ear and he collapsed. He was rushed to the hospital where he was certified dead on arrival.
Yesterday, state prosecution Tsogo Rantopa applied before Magistrate Nthabiseng Merafhe-Tladi that the trio be further remanded in custody as they have failed to raise the P1000 for bail. They were each also to bring forth a surety.
“I am pleading for the second, third and the forth accused persons to be further remanded in custody because they have not yet raised funds for their bail. I am also pleading with court to extend the bail application for the first accused person,” Rantopa said.
Rantopa added that prosecution is still waiting for forensic results from the Botswana Police Service forensic laboratory.“I am currently waiting for the forensic results to establish the cause of death hence cannot at this time continue with the case because the case is mostly depending on those results,” Rantopa said.
Asked if they have anything to say, Kgatlwane pleaded with Magistrate Merafhe-Tladi to reduce the bail money as he is failing to raise the required money.
“I am not the Magistrate in this case hence cannot change anything on it. She (Mosugelo) might have been looking at something to put that P1000 as one of your bail conditions therefore I cannot agree to your request now, just wait for she to respond to your request,” Merafhe-Tladi said.
Merafhe-Tladi further remanded the trio in custody and extended the bail application for Lenake.