An unemployed man who admitted skipping eight months worth of child maintenance payments is awaiting sentence behind bars.
Samuel Koko, 56, pleaded guilty to nine counts of failing to comply with a 22 November 2023 court order, in which he was instructed to pay P1, 000 for his 11-year-old child every month.
The Goo-Ntloedibe ward resident missed eight consecutive installments, from February to September 2024, and failed to buy winter clothes for the child, something court had also ordered him to do.
In total, Koko’s debt came to P8, 500 – an amount he admitted he was unlikely to be able to pay due to his lack of income.
“This case was unfair on my side, I told the court that I’m unemployed, where am I going to get source of income? I don’t know how I’m going to meet P1, 000, which is also difficult for working people,” Koko argued during mitigation, speaking in fluent English.
Popularly known as Gearbox in politics, Koko represented the Alliance for Progressives (AP) in the 2019 general elections, finishing a distant third in Goo-Ntloedibe ward, where he stood for a council seat. Remanded in custody, he is due before Molepolole Magistrates Court on Monday (2 nd March) for sentencing.
