Ramantosha triple murder case suffers third postponement
There was a depressing sense of déjà-vu before Molepolole Magistrates Court last week when the ‘Ramantosha triple murder case’ endured yet another delay.
Now approaching two years, the trial looks set to rumble on for the foreseeable future, the end still a distant dream for the slaughtered family’s loved ones.
Initially meant to resume on Tuesday (5 July), the matter was moved back two days after the youngest of the four suspects, 33-year-old Poloko Segwagwa ‘pulled a sickie’.
By Thursday, Segwagwa’s lawyer revealed his client had still not recovered, with his sick leave extended by an extra day.
Unimpressed, Justice Reuben Lekorwe vowed not to postpone the case until a medical officer explains exactly what the problem was.
Minutes turned to hours and, with no sign of the summoned officer, the judge was left with no option but to reschedule again, setting trial continuation for 14 and 15 October; all four suspects remain out on bail in the meantime.
It marks the latest stoppage in a trial that commenced on 5 August 2024.
After two intense days, the road to justice suffered its first orange light, when one of the accused killers, Tebogo Ramantosha, 35, announced he was feeling unwell and requested medical attention.
The next day, he unveiled a sick note, forcing court to cancel until 9 August – Ramantosha’s health did not improve in time and there was no progress made.
It would prove a frustrating theme.
With continuation set for 9 December that year, although the court staff, including the judge turned up on the allotted day, the suspects and their lawyers did not show.
It seems there was a breakdown in communication over the dates, despite this being one of Botswana’s most high-profile trials!
Ramantosha and Segwagwa as well as Mmoloki Boniface Tlhaelo, 42, and Cornelious Saidoo, 43, stand accused of a massacre that sent chills across the country.
On 21 June 2018, the four are said to have killed Ramantosha’s parents, Patrick Ramantosha, 55, Boingotlo Ramantosha, 47, and his young brother, 22-year-old Keabetswe Ramantosha.
The lifeless bodies of all three were found at their Molepolole home, their faces reportedly covered with duct tape and pieces of fabric while their hands and legs were tied together with shoelaces.
To date, 12 of the scheduled 22 witnesses have testified.
One, Hildah Sebonego, a former Operations Manager at Lanny Holdings, told court that Ramantosha attached a residential plot as security on a loan he had taken out with them.
She revealed he had initially approached them for P80, 000 but was knocked back.
“He told us that he wanted to buy a motor vehicle to use as public transport. He was then advised to get P45, 000 considering what the money was to be used for. After he applied for the agreed P45, 000, we got his documents including title deed and certified Omang card,” explained Sebonego.
Court heard Ramantosha managed to pay back the loan within the eight months stipulated in the contract.
Sebonego said the suspect returned in November 2017, now requesting P150, 000 to purchase a minibus.
This time it seems he defaulted, with Lanny Holdings submitting to Moribami Matthews Attorneys for debt collection around June/July 2018.
It is believed Ramanosha murdered his family as he wanted them out of the residential plot he had attached without the knowledge and the permission of his parents.
Another witness, Ramanosha’s aunt and Boingotlo’s younger sister, Diane Motswakadikgwa, 40, told court her sibling had applied for a residential plot in Mogoditshane in 1994.
Motswakadikgwa revealed Boingotlo later transferred the plot to Ramantosha’s names since she was married and it was during the time married people were not issued plots if they already had one.
Originally set for Lobatse High Court, the trial was moved to Molepolole due to the huge public interest in the case and to save costs on transporting the high number of witnesses.
They may have saved on money, but time is ticking by!
