A family divided

Six months into their marriage, a jealous man’s suspicions over his wife’s relationship with his step-father has landed the hot-headed husband in court.

35-year-old Pego Bogale’s unruly behavior almost put him in jail as well, saved from the slammer by a suspended three-month sentence.

The father-of-three was hauled before Mogoditshane Customary Court this week, charged with common nuisance after his wife, Fikile Bogale, 32, reported him to the cops for threatening her.

Fikile claimed she had been visiting her father-in-law, Makumba Makumba at Sir Seretse Khama Barracks (SSKB) on the morning of 7 February, when her husband turned up in a rage.

Telling her tale in court, the softly-spoken Fikile, who has moved out of her matrimonial home and is currently staying with her mum in Gaborone, said, “I arrived around 7am at SSKB and found Mr Makumba inside the house preparing himself.

“While waiting in the living room, within 10 minutes Pego arrived, demanding our marriage certificate and I told him that I will bring it. That was when he followed me and uttered the words, “Dilo tse mosadi a di dirang le matsalaagwe sengwe se tla direga, (roughly meaning, things that his wife was doing with her father-in-law something will happen).”

Later, as she was about to leave with Makumba, the duo found they had been blocked-in by Pego, who had parked his car in front of the gate.

When asked to remove his vehicle, Pego reportedly refused, only driving off when he was forcibly made to do so.

Supporting this version of events, in his evidence, Makumba explained that on the day in question, he had called Fikile to assist him with transport and to accompany him to High Court, where he was seeking advice over his late wife’s (Pego’s mum) properties.

For his part, Pego maintained he never threatened his wife.

The first-time offender further accused his step-dad of having ‘secret meetings’ with Fikile and trying to influence her to get a divorce.

“Makumba is my late mother’s husband, he is not my biological father. I never uttered the alleged threatening words. I’m not staying with my wife and we don’t communicate, we are still waiting for the parents to unite us,” said a remorseful Pego, adding he has no intentions of divorcing but fears his wife’s actions prove that’s exactly what she wants.

Facing a possible year behind bars, the accused smiled with relief when Kgosi Tswina Mochudi handed down a three-month sentence wholly suspended for a year providing Pego does not commit a similar offence in that time.

At the finalisation of the matter, the chief advised parents to always unite their children whenever there are misunderstandings.