He hacked trio to death and walked away with 30 years
The Gaborone High Court has sentenced Mokonopi Mothusi to 30 years in prison for the brutal murders of three people at Khonkhwa village in June 2004, sparing him the death penalty.
Mothusi was found guilty of hacking Lenkokame Mpipang, Goitsemang Letonkana, and Phemo Letonkana to death with an axe before dousing their bodies in paraffin and setting their hut ablaze. His life was spared as the court found extenuating circumstances, ruling that he was provoked and blinded by jealousy. The sentences are to run concurrently, with time already served to be deducted.
Mothusi’s fury stemmed from suspicions that Lenkokame Mpipang was involved with Tamalo Basupi, the mother of his three children. The court heard that village elders and relatives had intervened, calling a meeting to discuss the alleged affair. During this meeting, Mothusi imposed a fine of P2,000 and two cows on Mpipang, a penalty Mpipang denied and refused to pay. Further escalating tensions, Mpipang instructed his lawyers to write a letter to Mothusi, threatening to sue him for defamation.
On the night of June 22, 2004, Mothusi, who worked as a security guard at a local clinic, meticulously prepared for his vengeful mission. He took paraffin from a heater, an axe, a sponge, and flip-flops. Using a key obtained from a state witness, he gained entry to the hut where the three victims were sleeping and proceeded to hack them to death one by one. After torching the hut, he returned to his workstation, continuing his duty and feigning ignorance the following day.
His deception unravelled upon his return from Jwaneng, where he had gone to buy stock for his tuck shop, when police confronted him about the murders. At his home, while police waited outside, Mothusi attempted to take his own life by tying himself to the rafters, but officers intervened forcefully. The court heard that Mothusi had changed his flip-flops, covered his feet with a sponge, and put his shoes back on after the crime. He later led police to the heater, sponge, and flip-flops he had used.
Justice Michael Leburu affirmed the state’s case, stating, “The State has succeeded in proving that it was the accused who chopped, murdered and burnt the three deceased persons. The State has also proved that he burnt the hut using the paraffin he siphoned from a heater at the clinic. Traces of paraffin were seen from the samples taken for forensic analysis, as testified by the forensic scientist Modise Molale. I therefore reject the accused’s denial of the offences.”
Mothusi received 30-year sentences for each count of murder, to run concurrently, and was also convicted on a single count of arson.
