Ex-cop hunts down Moswaane over over P170k court debt
In a dramatic legal saga, Assistant Minister of Local Government and Traditional Affairs and Francistown West Member of Parliament, Mokwaledi Ignatius Moswaane, has failed to settle a court-ordered defamation payout of P170,000 to a former police officer, Thebeyame Lebogang, more than four years after the judgment was issued.
The High Court in Lobatse ruled on June 4, 2021, that Moswaane must pay P80,000 in damages, along with 10% annual interest backdated to July 31, 2019, plus legal costs amounting to P50,000. To date, Moswaane has not made any payments to the plaintiff, and the amount now totals approximately P170,000.
The case dates back to 2019, when three children were struck by a vehicle at Monarch location in Francistown. Lebogang, then a serving police officer, attended the scene with colleagues and ordered that the involved vehicle be towed to Central Police Station for investigation.
However, tensions flared when Moswaane also present at the scene publicly accused Lebogang of corruption, alleging that he was colluding with vehicle towing operators. He reportedly called the officer “rotten” and made further insulting remarks in the presence of a crowd.
Lebogang subsequently filed a defamation lawsuit, which he won by default judgment, after Moswaane allegedly ignored multiple court notices and failed to participate in proceedings.
In an effort to recover the awarded damages, Mbikiwa Legal Practice, representing Lebogang, filed a writ of execution on June 16, 2021. Deputy Sheriff Obakeng Kgwakgwe attempted to enforce the writ by visiting Moswaane’s Monarch residence on September 9, 2021.
According to court documents, no assets were identified that could satisfy the debt. As a result, the deputy sheriff submitted a nulla bona return, a formal declaration that the debtor has no attachable property.
Speaking to The Voice, Moswaane acknowledged that he criticized Lebogang at the scene, claiming the officer prioritized towing the vehicle over calling an ambulance for the injured children.
“I accused him for failing to do his job”, he said.
“If I’m being accused of trying to save lives, I’ll stand by that,” said Moswaane. He also contended that the judgment was granted without a fair trial and maintains that he is not refusing to pay, but wants the matter to go through proper legal channels.
He further claimed that he has made several attempts to hand Lebogang a notice of appeal, to no avail.
In response, Lebogang remained firm, stating, “I want my money.” He insisted that Moswaane had multiple chances to respond before judgment but deliberately ignored the court process.
“He can reach me through my lawyers at Mbikiwa Legal. Whether he was present or not at judgment is irrelevant. He was given the opportunity to defend himself and chose not to.”
Lebogang also questioned Moswaane’s claim of financial incapacity, suggesting that the nulla bona return is suspicious, given Moswaane’s public position and visibility.
“Moswaane as a whole assistant minister in a human rights government must lead by example and obey the court order instead of questioning it. As for me prioritising towing the vehicle than calling an ambulance it not true. When I arrived at the accident scene the children were already taken to Area W clinic. The vehicle had to be towed as I had to escort the offending driver out of the scene as members of the public wanted to attack him,” Lebogang shared.
