Twenty-one-year-old man of Area 7 Monarch, Francistown who has a string of violent offences from threat to kill, assault to unlawful wounding against his 20-year-old mother of his child was denied bail by the Francistown Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
Anthony Gorata Mkhutshwa was initially reported for a threat to kill in June last year, but within a period of twelve months of the report, the case was withdrawn by his lover. The accused now has escalated his propensity of violent behavior to inflicting multiple stab wounds on his estranged lover and mother of his three-year-old child.
“Bail is a privilege founded on trust and the accused’s repeated links in offences against the complainant demonstrates a heightened risk that such trust will be broken. Granting bail would not only expose her and her minor child to further harm but also risk undermining public confidence in the criminal justice system’s ability to respond effectively to Gender based violence”, said Principal Magistrate Tshepho Magetse.
Magetse said in the context of GBV cases the issues are not merely whether Mkhutshwa will stand trial but whether releasing him on bail may expose the complainant to further harm and in the process, erode and public confidence in the justice system.
“For now, given the completed investigations, the prosecution has sufficiently justified its request for the accused to remain in custody pending the finalization of the case,” he noted.
Mkhutshwa found himself before Francistown Magistrate Court on the 23th August after stabbing the complainant multiple times in the back. The stabbing incident landed the 20-year-old victim in a critical state at Nyangabgwe Referral Hospital for two weeks.
According to evidence brought before court, between November last year and January, 2025 Mkhutshwa was charged for common nuisance and assaulting his former lover. Both cases were reported to the police but have stalled and disappeared between police and prosecution.
The August incident became the inevitable climax of the toxic love relationship, were an unreported assault occurred on the 18th. Three days later the accused reportedly abducted his three-year-old child and later stabbed the baby mama.
