Member of Parliament for Nata/Gweta constituency, Polson Majaga, was this morning cleared of defilement charges.
Nata Principal Magistrate, Keabetswe Majuta, discharged and acquitted Majaga who was accused of unlawfully having carnal knowledge of an underage girl at Malelejwe Settlement.
The 16-year-old Form 2 drop-out had told court that she met the Botswana Democratic MP in September 2019 while she was babysitting at a certain Tshimologo’s yard and he proposed love to her.
She said the accused later came to Tshimologo’s yard where they had unprotected sex. She stated that the sex was consensual.
The girl further stated that she met Majaga again around March 2020.
They met at the Dukwi veterinary gate and proceeded to Nata Guest house belonging to the accused, where they also had unprotected consensual sex.
The same statements were made to Investigating Officer Galesite Lesego, who was shown the hut that the girl said she spent the night in with Majaga.
Lesego however said the girl failed to locate the guest house she also claimed she had unprotected sex with the accused.
Meanwhile, while the 46-year-old Majaga admitted to knowing the complainant, he denied ever having sex with her.
He admitted to have sent someone to collect the girl and driving with her to Kasane where she was supposed to work as a cleaner at his newly opened Travel and Tours company called Zebras.
Majaga’s driver at the time arrived with the girl in Dukkwi at 2am and ushered her to the accused’s residence, who later left them with security personnel to head out to a funeral.
Majaga told court that on his return, the girl told him about the pregnancy and that’s when he decided not to employ her, but rather gave her transport money to head back home.
In passing judgment, Magistrate Majuta said the state’s case at attempting to establish where and when the parties could possibly have had sexual intercourse was based on the complainant’s word: “But then her evidence is manifestly unreliable due to the contradictions. The state evidence was discredited by its own witness, and there’s no evidence to suggest that the accused had sex with the complainant on that day,” said Majuta.
“I pronounce that the complainant has failed the credibility test,” Majuta said before returning a not guilty verdict.
