Miner on trial for killing teacher

OARABILE MOSIKARE
Correspondent | Wednesday February 11, 2009 00:00

The accused, Sam Sethume, a BCL employee, is facing one count of murder. The indictment alleges that on 31 January 2006 at Tlhabololo Primary School (TPS) in Selebi Phikwe he murdered Dineo Nare.

It is the prosecutions case that Sethumo had an extramarital affair with the deceased Nare, a teacher at TPS.

It is said that Nare had wanted out of the relationship and took her case to one of the customary courts in the copper-nickel mining town. The two lovebirds reached a mutual agreement to end their relationship and that the accused would hand over the house keys of the accused.

One of the prosecution witnesses, Millicent Makwati, told the court that on the evening of the fateful day he found the accused, the deceased and others seated outside her colleague's quarters. A certain Patrick Mogale introduced himself as Nare's uncle from Serowe. After Makwati took a bath, she proceeded to water the plants.

'I later heard noise made by children. One of them was shouting 'a person has killed my mom'. When I went to investigate I found Sethumo reversing his car,' submitted Makwati in her evidence. Her neighbour, Joseph Ramanoko, was outside and called Sethumo.

Makwati alleged that Sethumo refused to come back and replied: 'Ga ke tle koo. Ke bolaile ngwananyana yoo. Ke bona gore o tshamekisa batho. Ke ya go ipega ko mapodising - I am not coming there, I have killed that girl. I can see that she plays games with people. I am going to report myself to the police'.

Makwati wasted no time and followed Ramanoko into Nare's house to be greeted by a gruesome discovery. 'Nare was lying on a chair and had a wound on the right side of the neck and another one on her thigh. There was plenty of blood where she was lying and on the wall'.

The defence attorney, Phazha Kgalemang, in cross examination told Makwati that the accused will tell the court that he and the girl were fighting and they injured one another before he went to the police to report.

Another witness, Inspector Onkgopotse Mabodi, told the court that they received the report of murder incident at around 20:30hours and they found the accused in the bathroom at home.

'We asked him to accompany us to the police station where we detained him,' said Mabodi.

Kgalemang pointed that the accused would tell the court that he was in the bathroom trying to stop the blood by pouring water on the wound on his left leg. 'I did not see the wound but I cannot dispute what he was doing in the bathroom,' replied Mabodi.

Kgalemang also put it to him that he seized the knife that was on top of the table and Sethumo's wife never gave him the knife. Mabodi stood by his story that Sethumo's wife gave him the knife. Kgalemang also said the accused showed Mabodi his injury but Mabodi refused to take him to the hospital. Kgalemang also pointed out that his client was taken to the hospital two days after his detention. Still Mabodi was unmoved and said Sethumo said he was fit before his detention.

Antoinette Kula represents the state.