The trial of Ernerst Legwale, who is accused of plotting to kill his ex-wife but accidentally had her lookalike sister killed, has been postponed to Wednesday by the Gaborone High Court.
The unexpected delay occurred when the state prosecutor, Merapelo Mokgosi, fell ill.
She had arrived in good health and high spirits, but during the Monday morning session, she experienced dizziness and an inability to read her notes.
This prompted Justice Michael Leburu to reschedule the case for Wednesday.
Legwale, along with his co-accused Hamadi Mkhuha, and a third accused, Zwichanaka Dabie (who passed away two months ago), are alleged to have attacked and assaulted Thato Meswele, the sister of Legwale’s ex-wife, Dimpho Meswele, on September 10, 2015, in Oodi village.
Thato was subsequently admitted to Princess Marina Hospital for four days, where she tragically passed away.
Legwale, maintaining his innocence, was expected to testify in his defense and assert that he never orchestrated his wife’s murder.
In a previous statement, Legwale told the court that he had instructed the two men to perform a ritual involving placing a baboon’s head in the yard, aiming to save his marriage as he was going through a divorce process with his wife.
The case had taken the police two years to investigate until they received a tip-off, leading to the arrests on February 20, 2018.
According to Detective Senior Superintendent Sergeant Marapo, the investigating officer, on the fateful morning, Dimpho’s younger sister went outside the house as they were preparing for work, and she was assaulted by an assailant with a blunt object, resulting in a severe head wound.
