SOLDIER’S WIFE CATCHES HUSBAND AT MISTRESS HOUSE
As other women celebrated International Women’s Day at Bakwena main kgotla in Molepolole on Tuesday, on the other side of the village two women were battling it out in court in a case of marriage wrecking.
In the end, a primary school teacher, Linda Martha Phofedi, emerged the loser as the court pronounced her guilty and fined her P24 000 for having an affair with a married BDF soldier, Sergeant Disang Baratang.
Upon hearing the sentence Phofedi lost her cool and protested loudly saying, “I didn’t know Disang was married, you can identify your cow by its brand mark and a married man by his ring, but Disang had no ring and no sign that he was married.”
The 39-year old school teacher was convicted on the basis that the wife of the cheating soldier, Bame Baratang had caught him sleeping at Phofedi’s house in Molepolole, Matlhalerwa ward.
Before then Bame who is a driver at Molepolole main Land Board once found Phofedi and her husband at Ditshukudu cattle post enjoying traditional choir entertainment and simply took her car back, which the couple was using.
The court heard that inside the car there was Phofedi’s cooler box containing wines, her medication, facecloth and memory sticks which Bame returned to her husband’s mistress soon after the judgment was delivered.
The mistress however complained that her wines were missing and threatened to open a case against Bame to pay for the alcohol. The court gave her that opportunity and asked her bring a quotation for the wine prices before the court can set a date for a hearing.
Laying the background of the case before Chief Sesupo Gagonthone, 44-year-old Bame said it was last year September 26th, when her husband deserted his family.
“I reported to his parents and we tried calling him with his uncle’s phone and he did not answer and later blocked our numbers. Accompanied by his older siblings we went to his workplace at Thebephatshwa Airbase to report him to his bosses who quizzed him until he told them he was staying in Block 8,” explained Bame.
The court heard that Seargent Baratang promised the bosses to return home but never did.
On November 13th, 2021 the married couple met by sheer coincidence at a birthday celebration at Mmaothate lands and the husband promised once again to return home. It was however at the same party that Bame managed to extract her husband’s mistress’s phone number from his phone and used it to find the mistress house.
On November 22nd, 2021 the desperate wife pounced on Phofedi at around 0430hrs at her house
“When I knocked, Phofedi opened the door but immediately locked it after I told her that I wanted my husband who was holed up inside her house. I called my husband’s name and asked him to open the door and he responded asking me to give him and his mistress a bit of time to dress up. He then opened and I got inside the house where I found his BDF uniform on top of the bed. He tried fighting me but I fought back but later calmed down because Phofedi was begging me to stop fighting,” said Bame who had sued for 8 cows or P40, 000 in cash.
In her defence Phofedi said last year between April and May, sergeant Baratang proposed love to her posing as a single father who had been dumped by his baby mama.
“I then requested him to give me a month to investigate. I checked on his ring finger but I did not find any mark of a ring and we later deeply fell in love around August. I also searched him on Facebook and only saw children,” explained Phofedi who went on to argue that every year married couples usually post their wedding anniversary on Facebook but Baratang never posted anything, which convinced her he was indeed single.
Although admitted to being in love with a married man, Phofedi vehemently denied that she had wrecked someone’s marriage and laid the whole blame on
Baratang whom she insisted had lied and tricked her.
Commenting on the matter Baratang said the court should have given him an opportunity to testify so he could absolve his mistress from any wrongdoing.
Phofedi has threatened to appeal the sentence.
