A suspect in the murder of Molepolole taxi driver, Phenyo Jakoba, has been remanded in custody by the Molepolole Magistrates Court.
Bakang Masole, 23, is facing two counts of murder and robbery.
According to the charge sheet, Masole murdered Jakoba and robbed him of his Honda Fit car, valued at P40,000, on November 9th, 2023.
Jakoba, who was reported missing a week ago after leaving his home in Thamaga for work in Molepolole, was found dead and decomposed at Mosinki lands in an abandoned yard by school children.
Due to the decomposed condition of Jakoba’s body, the police called a pathologist to conduct the post-mortem on the spot and he was buried the following morning.
However, some relatives claimed that some body organs were missing, raising suspicions of a possible ritual murder.
On the day he went missing, Jakoba contacted his girlfriend using a different number, asking her to charge his phone that he had left at home.
When Jakoba did not return home that night, his girlfriend, who is also the mother of his two children, inquired with his family about his whereabouts, only to find out that they were also clueless.
Later, fellow taxi drivers spotted Jakoba’s car with private number plates and a new owner.
They took the new owner, Bakang Masole, and his two friends, to the police station where Masole presented ownership documents as proof of the alleged sale.
According to Jakoba’s uncle, Onkgopotse Mokgosi, the men who claimed to have bought the car from Jakoba said they met him on Friday morning at the Department of Road Transport and Safety.
They said he gave them the blue book for the car to sign and left them before they entered the offices to change the ownership, saying he was going to Mogoditshane.
Mokgosi said the family and the girlfriend were unaware of any plans by Jakoba to sell the car.
Jakoba was described by his family, relatives, and friends as a humble and loving person.
He was the firstborn child and left behind his mother, younger brother and sister, and two children.
Masole will appear for mention on December 18th, 2023.