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Insurance murder-accused denied bail pending judgment

Thato Tsametse PIC: MORERI SEJAKGOMO
Thato Tsametse PIC: MORERI SEJAKGOMO

Justice Modiri Letsididi of the Lobatse High Court has denied murder accused Thato Tsametse bail while he awaits his judgment. Tsametse, who is alleged to have brutally murdered his teenage cousin in March 2018, has motivated through his attorney Nkosana Ngwenya that he wanted bail, as it was 'taking forever' for judgment to be delivered.

Tsametse, who had been on bail, was whisked away to maximum prison to await the verdict in June at the close of the trial. Tsametse’s fate was initially to be decided on October 12, however, because the State had not filed papers, a new date had to be set.

It was only in court last Thursday that the State filed papers and Ngwenya believed his client deserves bail for the delays. Letsididi would have none of it stating that having heard the case, the delay in filing was not reason enough to grant Tsametse bail. He would then set February 29 as the day a verdict would be delivered. According to court records, sometime in 2017, Tsametse to get startup cash for a cab business bought two identical Mmoloki Funeral Policies at the maximum benefit of P25,000 each.

Editor's Comment
Justice delayed is trust denied

Batswana who marched peacefully for 'Justice for Tshepi' demanded answers. They have now received a detailed account of police investigation and a promise that the file is with the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP). The real test is whether the state now keeps its word without further prodding. In his address, the minister asked the nation to trust the process. He spoke of rigour, not neglect, and pointed to 10 months of...

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