Sebele found guilty of stock theft

ISAIAH MOREWAGAE
Staff Writer | Wednesday January 27, 2010 00:00

 

Molepolole Magistrate, Dumisane Basupi convicted Sebele yesterday and remanded him in custody pending investigations whether he has previous convictions. The former Bakwena regent was found guilty of stealing a billy goat worth P800 belonging to Mhiko Gabatlale of Sojwe. The magistrate said the six defence witnesses were unreliably hence it would be difficult unreliable for the court to trust their evidence.

On the other hand, Basupi found that not all the state witnesses were trigger-happy and stood their ground under tough cross-examination from defence attorney, Shame Taimu.

 'I watched their demeanour and it was far from being staged,' the magistrate said. He said he did understand why some defence witnesses failed to explain how the goat came into the possession of Sebele. He found that the documentary evidence produced in court by the prosecution witnesses fulfilled the requirements under the Stock Theft Act.

He wondered why Sebele and his witnesses waited for four years after buying the goat to start preparing documentary evidence. He said the cattle sales receipt that was produced by Gabatlale and the documents kept in the Phuduhudu Customary Court register corresponded hence satisfying the requirements of the law. He was however, unsatisfied with Sebele and his witnesses who prepared a hand written letter describing the goat.

The testimony of one Chandapiwa for the defence was found wanting after prosecution witnesses alleged Sebele dictated to her what she should write at Lephephe Customary Court when he (Sebele) was taking the goat in question. In his defence, Sebele said he bought the goat from the late Tekane Pebe. He lined-up Pebe's wife, Godiraone and son, Motshephe as some of his witnesses. However, the magistrate dismissed the testimony of the duo saying they were unreliable witnesses who kept changing their stories.