Keganne May Elude The Hangman

ISAIAH MOREWAGAE
Staff Writer | Monday January 11, 2010 00:00

 

This development came to the fore Thursday when attorney Joao Salbany representing Keganne applied for postponement of their appeal at the beginning of the first session of the Court of Appeal (CoA). Salbany reasoned that they were served with an incomplete record of proceedings by the state towards the end of December last year.

'The record of proceedings is incomplete as there is a presidential undertaking not to effect death penalty against my client and that undertaking is not in the record as we speak', Salbany said. On the other hand, Mosweu Ditodi, on behalf of the State, opposed the postponement arguing that grounds advanced by Keganne were not sound.

However, the Acting CoA Judge president, John McNally, granted the postponement until the next session of the CoA to allow Keganne and his attorney to prepare their appeal.

Keganne and his attorney intend using the presidential undertaking to overturn the High Court decision that sealed his fate with the hangman. Keganne, together with two South African citizens, were extradited to Botswana to stand trial for the murder of a Phitshane woman, Gloria Mahowe. South Africa released the trio after Botswana gave her word that they will not be executed. Despite the undertaking, Keganne was found guilty and sentenced to death, while the two South Africans got lengthy prison sentences on the grounds that they were young when they committed the offence.