Former Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) Councillor for Medie/ Kweneng, Edward Shanakane, facing two cases of defilement has had one of the cases moved to April 25, 2025, for trial.
Shanakane’s trial was scheduled to commence last week before Molepolole Magistrates’ Court but was postponed as the interpreter called in sick.
The postponement was also convenient for Shanakane as he also told the court that his lawyer was unable to attend trial as he too was unwell.
“Your attorney has failed to appear even for mention for the whole of this year, a letter of urgency and non-attendance is not filed. The case was registered on June 21st, 2022, while the offence is alleged to have occurred in 2020, we shall proceed with trial,” said Magistrate Mmamerafe Phologo when setting the new trial date.
This publication has learnt that the former councillor’s other defilement case scheduled for trial earlier this year, June 27th, did not commence since the prosecutor was on study leave and Shanakane told the court that he wanted to engage an attorney.
The 39-year-old Shanakane is accused of defiling two 16-year-old girls on separate occasions.
He allegedly sexually abused his other victim, sleeping with her since December 2020 till the matter was reported to the police in September 2021.
Shanakane allegedly sexually abused the other girl after he got her cellphone number sometime in early 2021 after giving her a lift to Lentsweletau.
The then councillor is said to have persistently called the teenager till he persuaded her to have sexual intercourse with him at his rented house.
The girl, it is alleged, would lie telling her mother that she was visiting a relative for a sleepover while in fact she was going to Shanakane’s house.
The truth came out when the relatives blew her cover by telling her mother that she never spent a single night with them.
Shanakane who is on bail for both cases is waiting for the court to set trial date for the second case. other case while another case has already been scheduled for trial on April 25th next year.
