Lawyers in near fist-fight in court

ISAIAH MOREWAGAE
Staff Writer | Wednesday July 7, 2010 00:00

 

Defence attorney,  Joao Salbany and state counsel Mosweu Ditodi nearly traded blows after a dispute in the case of Benson Keganne who is appealing his death sentence. 

Salbany seemed to have been irked by the reluctance of Mosweu Ditodi to tell the court whether the state undertook not to hang Keganne when he was extradited from South Africa.

Immediately after the three Court of Appeal judges retreated to their chambers, a visibly angry Salbany confronted Ditodi, asking him why he lied to court that he does not know anything about the undertaking.

Salbany charged at Ditodi pointing fingers at his face. Vulgar insults were hurled in the intense exchange as other lawyers tried to intervene. The two men then moved outside court where they nearly fought again. After a few minutes, they went their separate ways leaving the public puzzled. Salbany is fighting to save Keganne from the hangman on the basis that the Botswana government undertook not to hang him when he came to stand trial from South Africa.

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 allegedly promised they would not be executed. Despite the alleged promise, 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.