A 26-year-old youth accused of threatening to shoot his lover with a gun on Christmas Day was last week remanded in custody after the court ruled that he had a case to answer.
The accused, Onthusitse Katlego Gaselatlhwe commonly known as Tonoko, is said to have attempted to kill his lover who is also the mother of his child, Tsholofelo Joyce Mhaladi (22) on December 25th, 2019 at Moamogwa lands.
Last week Mhaladi approached the police trying to withdraw the matter, but Molepolole Magistrate Kefilwe Resheng would have none of it as she reminded the prosecution that the complainants have no powers to withdraw matters after they have reported.
“The sooner they are notified that they do not have powers to withdraw no matter, the better, because there is no how the offences in this district can be controlled if people can just commit offenses and the matters are withdrawn, no one sees any consequences. There is no matter that is going to be withdrawn before my court, they shall be taken to trial,” stressed the Magistrate.
The concerned magistrate blamed the complainants for being dependent on perpetrators just because they are the ones providing for them and their children.
She advised the police to take such complainants to the social welfare officers if they cannot afford to take care of themselves.
Gaselatlhwe tried his luck for bail saying he kept his property in the house he was renting and also that the complainant is unemployed and he is the one who has been providing for the family.
“I am also the one who has been looking after my mother and my two siblings,” he said.
The Ntloolenwgwae ward young man looked startled when the magistrate ordered that he be remanded in custody to await his next court appearance on February 18th, 2020.
It is alleged that Gaselatlhwe threatened to shoot Mhaladi after he requested her to borrow P200.00 for him from her mother and she told him that her mother did not have any money.
Gaselatlhwe who was armed with a shotgun was said to have then taken their child away and Mhaladi followed and caught up with him at the nearest bush.
When he pointed the gun at her, Mhaladi allegedly grabbed the loaded weapon and tried to wrestle it away from him and, amid the fracas, he pulled the trigger and shot one bullet on the ground.
The terrified Mhaladi was allegedly rescued by her mother who heard her screaming and hastily rushed to the scene while Gaselatlhwe fled.
