Murder accused Tumelo Mogotsi, who is alleged to have brutally killed Oteng Magang over a cooler box in 2015 alongside co-accused Thabo Ntwayakgosi, failed to appear before the Gaborone High Court today, resulting in the trial being postponed.
Scheduled for continuation of trial today before Justice Oteng Motlhala, the first accused, Mogotsi, was a no-show in court despite being remanded in custody.
His defence attorney, on one end, Leitshamo Phil, was present in court and sought answers from Botswana Prison Service officials available in court.
“My client (Mogotsi) is absent, and we don’t know why he is absent since he is incarcerated. May prison officials indulge us?” Phil asked.
The prison official in attendance said he was not aware of the matter, and a different prison was responsible for ferrying the accused from prison to court.
Meanwhile, the second accused, Ntwayakgosi, was available for the trial to continue alongside his attorney, Claudina Rendo.
With the first accused not present at the time, Motlhala gave the defence an indulgence of an hour to see if the accused would not arrive within the next hour.
Following indulgence, it was evident that the first accused was not on his way. Both the defence and prosecution were in agreement that the matter should be postponed to tomorrow (Tuesday).
“We pray that this matter be postponed to tomorrow. We have established that the prisoner has been transferred to the first offenders' prison from Kanye, and they may not have been aware of this matter,” Prosecutor Mogotsi Ndlovu said.
Justice Motlhala set the matter for tomorrow for the continuation of the trial.
The background of the matter dates back to 2015, when Mogotsi and Ntwayakgosi allegedly acted together, robbed Magang, and fatally stabbed him just outside Dladleng Entertainment Centre.
