Man allegedly bludgeons girlfriend and toddler son to death after paternity row
In an inhumane act of savage cruelty, a 29-year-old man is accused of bludgeoning his girlfriend and her 18-month-old son to death with a hammer.
The latest Gender-Based Violence (GBV) blood-spilling to stain the land a darker shade of red occurred in Gabane village in the early hours of Friday morning.
Charged with two counts of murder, Excellent Mutayiki, a Zimbabwean citizen popularly known as Joshua, appeared before Village Magistrates Court on Wednesday.
Although plea was reserved, the suspect as good as confessed to the grisly killing of Kebaabetswe Motswakae, 29, and her baby boy, Blessing Joshua Motswakae.
Looking calm and displaying very little emotion despite the horrific crimes he’s accused of, Mutayiki stunned court, claiming his girlfriend recently confessed that the child he had raised as his own, the child whose middle name he bore, was not his.
He further told court Kebaabetswe admitted cheating on him, and then pushed him over the edge by showing him two bottles of ARVs, medication she revealed she had been secretly taking since 2016.
According to details presented in court, mother and son were murdered at around 4:00am on October 31, while fast asleep in their rented house.
Consumed by anger, Mutayiki is said to have attacked Kebaabetswe with a hammer, striking her several times on the head and body before turning the same weapon on the defenseless toddler.
Little Blessing was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital, while his mother succumbed to her injuries the following morning at Gaborone Private Hospital.
The landlord raised the alarm after discovering the horrific scene and alerted police.
The Investigating Officer (IO), Kgomotso Molefhe, from Mogoditshane Police Station, told court a murder report was logged soon after, leading to Mutayiki’s arrest.
Opposing bail, the prosecution argued that the accused posed a danger to the public and in particular to the biological father of the deceased child, whom he allegedly threatened to kill.
“The public is angry, and his release may endanger his own life and others,” warned Detective Constable Molefhe.
The officer added tensions between the suspect and the deceased’s family remain dangerously high, with the two parties involved in a heated exchange when they came face-to-face at the police station on Monday.
Unsurprisingly, Mutayiki, who wore a trendy jacket and fashionable sneakers, was remanded in custody, with the case adjourned to 14 November when a family representative is expected to address the court on the issue on bail.
