Murder Suspect Acted In Self-Defence, Lawyer

Defence attorney Shame Taimu has claimed that his client, Matshidiso Ntwaagae acted in self-defence in her ongoing murder trial before High Court Judge Justice Onkemtse Tshosa.

Taimu told the court that on the day of the incident in July 2009, Ntwaagae was choked by her boyfriend Pule Letota using a black scarf that the accused was wearing. The State is alleging that Ntwaagae murdered her boyfriend Letota with an axe after an altercation.  During cross-examination state witness, Baone Shoko, had claimed that on the day in question, she and her boyfriend (Phemelo Bakatweng), who lived in the same compound as Letota, responded to a cry for help from Ntwaagae. They also heard a sound as if someone was being choked. They had to force open the door of the deceased room to gain entry into the room. In his testimony, Bakatweng had also said he forced open the door of the deceased's room after hearing some unusual sound coming from inside. He said the sound he heard was as if someone was being choked, adding that on entering the room he saw the deceased and Ntwaagae lying on the bed.

He further explained that he then realised that one of the two was lying in a pool of blood but initially thought it was Ntwaagae as she had earlier screamed for help saying Letota was killing her. On realising that something bad had happened, he went out to call the deceased's elder brother to come and see what his younger brother had done. However Bakatweng said on taking a closer look they realised that the person lying in the pool of blood was Letota and not Ntwaagae as he had initially thought.

Editor's Comment
Inspect the voters' roll!

The recent disclosure by the IEC that 2,513 registrations have been turned down due to various irregularities should prompt all Batswana to meticulously review the voters' rolls and address concerns about rejected registrations.The disparities flagged by the IEC are troubling and emphasise the significance of rigorous voter registration processes.Out of the rejected registrations, 29 individuals were disqualified due to non-existent Omang...

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