Man threatens to axe wife to death

According to the charge sheet, Thapelo Kealotswe, 43, threatened to bludgeon his wife Francinah Kealotswe to death by uttering the words, "O jele madi ngwanyana ke wena mme o tsile go nyela gompieno...Ke tsile go go bolaya..ke tla a go rema ka selepe," which is translated to mean, "You used the money and I am going to beat you up...I am going to chop you with an axe".

The accused, a bus driver, allegedly made the threats against his wife, a nurse, on January 13, 2024 at the couple's home in front of their minor child who is said to have been traumatised from the incident.

When Kealotswe was arraigned before court, prosecutor Mompoloki Mabalane from the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) said investigations into the matter had just begun and called on the court to remand the accused in custody pending conclusion of the investigations.

The court also heard that Kealotswe was serving a suspended sentence of common nuisance after he was previously convicted on a charge of threatening to stab his wife with a knife. The prosecutor also told the court that the accused had another case of assault pending against him and that the complainant is still his wife.

Upon hearing this, magistrate Tshepo Magetse wondered why a lesser charge of common nuisance was levelled against the accused instead of a more serious one of threat to kill since it was revealed that Kealotswe landed in trouble after he had chased after his wife wielding a knife.

In response, Mabalane said she was not aware how that happened because the charge and conviction emanated from the customary court.

When asked by the magistrate if he was aware of Gender Based Violence (GBV) and what his opinion was about it, Kealotswe answered in the affirmative and acknowledged that GBV was not a good thing.

In the end, the court issued a remand order against Kealotswe pending finalisation of police investigations. Thapelo will appear in court on February 12, 2024 for a status hearing.