Despite his beaming smile, a mechanic will spend the next year of his life behind bars after pleading guilty to stealing a car battery.
It is not the first time Joseph Badumeleng will serve time in the slammer, having previously been sentenced to eight months for a similar offence.
The 43-year-old’s latest brush with the law dates back to January 8th, 2024, when he stole an Isuzu battery during a late-night robbery in Francistown’s Donga location.
The driver realized the battery was missing at around 05:40 hours the next morning, when he prepared to leave for work but the car wouldn’t start.
He reported the matter to the police, who combed the surrounding area and soon stumbled into Badumeleng, catching him red-handed with the stolen battery.
Appearing before the Magistrates Court on Tuesday, the repeat offender begged for mercy, noting he had learnt his lesson and would never steal again.
“I am a mechanic and sometimes I take the batteries when I am not paid. I am planning to change this profession because it lands me in trouble,” he told court, grinning broadly as he spoke.
When delivering his sentence, Magistrate Ditebogo Ntuli took into account Badumeleng’s guilty plea, noting it had saved court time and money.
“It will also consider that the stolen battery was found and shall be returned to its lawful owner. However, this is not the accused person’s first offence and his actions cannot be condoned in the society. There are many forums which one can utilize for unpaid labor and his excuse is not justified,” closed the Magistrate.
His smile fading for barely a second, Badumeleng requested the sentence be backdated to the time of his arrest – a plea that proved unsuccessful.
