NIGHT OF VIOLENCE ENDS IN DEATH
The sleepy village of Moshaweng awoke to blood and murder on Sunday morning, after a vicious bar brawl left two men dead and two more badly injured.
The youth reportedly responsible for the mayhem, 25-year-old Keautlwetse Botena, is facing a double murder charge as well as two unlawful wounding cases.
Looking dazed and extremely nervous, Botena, a herdboy at Poloka cattlepost, appeared before Molepolole Magistrate Court on Tuesday.
He is accused of stabbing Kgalalelo Tom and Kagiso Hume to death before allegedly plunging the same knife into Ronald Elija and Katlego Bogatle.
According to well-placed sources in the Kweneng West village, Sunday’s blood spilling was actually the chilling climax of a feud that started in similar fashion.
“Botena and Hume fought recently, a fight which ended with Botena stabbing the other man. The two were advised to reconcile, sadly they did not!”
It appears Hume spotted a chance for revenge when he learnt Botena was drinking at Shawas Bar on Saturday night.
“One of the boys phoned Hume and told him his enemy was around. After Shawas Bar closed, Botena proceeded to Music King Nightclub for further entertainment, where Hume arrived with a crew of three boys,” claimed the source.
“Later the boys started fighting by throwing stones at Botena who was hiding. Unfortunately the stones got finished and then he chased the boys. Hume fell down and Botena stabbed him at the back before he followed Tom and stabbed him all over the body holding him by the head,” continued the source.
Both men were rushed to Scottish Livingstone Hospital but passed away from their injuries shortly after arrival.
Elija was wounded in the back and remains hospitalised while Katlego, who was stabbed in the forehead, has since been discharged.
During his brief court outing, a visibly traumatised Botena kept his head down and his mouth shut, choosing not to say anything.
The suspect did not request bail and was duly remanded in custody until his next mention, set for Monday 23 December.
As police officers led Botena away to his new home, court overhead an eerily similar murder case from the same night.
21-year-old Pabalelo Tshweneyagae and Bakang Mosiiwa, aged 27, were locked up in connection with the death of Motshegetsi Modipane, 46, in Lentsweletau.
The deceased was found lying in a pool of blood with a deep wound at the back of his head a few meters from an entertainment area in the village.
The duo are due back in court on Thursday 19 December.
In yet another incident from 1st December – and another that ended with the suspect remanded – 23-year-old Atlang Motaung allegedly stabbed one Dimpho Raletsebe in the stomach with a knife in Thamaga village.
Charged with unlawful wounding, Motaung, a street hawker at Gaborone bus rank, will also appear for mention on 19 December.
