Women get one year for possession of cocaine

GOTHATAONE MOENG
Staff Writer | Thursday June 6, 2013 00:00

Martha Maluleka and Girlie Morapedi were also fined P3,500 each, which they are expected to pay within 14 court days, failing which they would serve the one-year imprisonment each. The two women were found in possession of over 68 grammes of cocaine, which they had no permission to be carrying. Handing down the sentence, Village Magistrate Priscilla Ditlhong said she noted that the two pleaded guilty to the charge and did not waste the court's time.

Ditlhong said she also took into consideration the fact that they are first offenders and that they showed remorse for their crime. During mitigation, Maluleka begged the court for mercy and said that she was ashamed of herself for committing the offence.She told the court that she was her family's only surviving child, and that she takes care of both her mother and her deceased sister's three children.'I am begging the court to have mercy on me. Not only for my sake, but for the sake of my family,' she said.Her co-accused, Morapedi also begged the court for forgiveness, and said that both her parents are deceased. She said she also looks after her three children, the youngest of them being only four years old. She told the court that she would never commit the crime again.

The court heard yesterday that the women were arrested on August 11, 2012 at the Gaborone Bus Rank by members of the Botswana Police Service following a tip-off. They were found to have in their possession a plastic bag, which contained two transparent bags that contained some crystallised material. The court heard that the material was taken to the Botswana Police Forensic Science Laboratory for testing, and was found to be cocaine weighing 68.1923 grammes. The accused also failed to show documents that legally permitted them to carry the cocaine.