Court halts rape case over 11-year delay

Delivering judgment recently, Justice Masilo Mathaka ruled that the 11-year delay in bringing Kabelo Kingsly Thadia to trial was unjustified and prejudicial, saying it amounted to a violation of the fair trial guarantees enshrined in Section 10(11) of the Constitution of Botswana.

The accused, charged with rape, was alleged to have committed the offence in December 2012. However, he only made his first appearance before the Mahalapye Magistrate’s Court on March 14, 2023, which was more than a decade later.