A murder suspect whose warrant of arrest was issued in February is said to be hiding in South Africa.
This was confirmed by the prosecution on July 30th during the status hearing.
“He has been on warrant of arrest for a long time and he is said to be in South Africa. We have been instructed to set the date for status hearing while the police are working to apprehend him,” revealed the prosecutor.
The 32- year- old Ramatua James Tladi of Mochudi village allegedly murdered his then 18-year-old- girlfriend, the daughter of a Maun Police Officer last year on Valentine’s Day.
He has been out on bail and one of his bail conditions, which he violated hence the warrant of arrest, was that he must appear before Maun Magistrates’ Court as and when directed to. Tladi last appeared in court on November 7th, 2023.
Applying for the arrest warrant, the prosecutor noted that they are not aware of the reason behind his non appearance in court.
“Investigations are still ongoing. The accused is not present and the reasons are not known to the prosecution. We apply for the warrant of his arrest and pray for a further away mention date to complete investigations.”
Maun Station Commander, Dennis Zilawe, had previously confirmed that when the girl was found dead by his father who is a police officer, a cable was tied tightly around her neck and she was confirmed dead upon arrival at Letsholathebe Memorial Hospital in Maun.
“The way she was lying down and the way the knot was tied on the rope caused suspicions of foul play and our investigations led us to the arrest of Tladi,” said Zilawe.
The background of the matter is that both the girl, Mokgatle, and Tladi are from Mochudi and Tladi followed Mokgatle to Maun where she was visiting her father at the time of the incident.
Tladi was also found in possession of the deceased’s mobile phone and house keys, further linking him to the girl’s death.
The matter has been set for 31 October.
