A 35-year-old man from Ditadi village was arraigned before Francistown Magistrate Court this morning for the death of his 17-year-old lover.
Ronny Sebutana, appeared before court in shackles under hostile gazes from incensed members of the public who were struggling to come to terms with the teenager’s tragic death and the dark revelations surrounding her older lover.
The lifeless body of the teenager, identified as Phenyo Potwana, was found hanging from a tree at Ditatsana ward on Tuesday morning.
A pair of trousers had been used as a noose to hang the teenager.
A bag with suspected dagga and a jacket were also found at the scene.
Police officers easily picked signs of foul play because of the footprints around the crime scene, leading to Sebutana’s swift arrest.
Sebutana was slapped with a murder charge this morning and his plea was reserved.
Securing the accused’s incarceration, state prosecutor Paphidzo Kuda pleaded with the court to remand him in custody, stating that their investigations are still new.
“The investigating officer is yet to identify the witnesses and record their statements. Postmortem has been conducted and we plead that the accused person be remanded in custody because this is a serious offence which carries a heavy punishment. The accused person might flee, considering the possible penalty should he be found guilty.
“The accused also has a pending murder case before the Francistown High Court, so he might continue committing similar offences if granted bail,” said Prosecutor Kuda.
In his defense, Sebutana denied killing Potwana, but did not oppose the state’s application for his remand. “I did not kill Phenyo. You can check her phone and mine to confirm our last communication. And I heard that I should not be given bail, I do not have a problem with that,” he said without any remorse.
He was therefore remanded in custody and will be back in court on November 28th.
According to the police, Sebutana has a history of violent crimes including the pending High Court case in which he is charged with the murder of a Zimbabwean man.
