Four Botswana Defence Force (BDF) officers and a local boat operator who are alleged to have murdered a suspected Zambian poacher near Linyanti, (Chobe District) in December last year were this week granted bail by the Kasane Magistrate’s Court.
The accused officers are Mpho Kgobati (42), Lone Sefemo (23), Kevin Banyaditse (23), Obakeng Marumo (29) all stationed at Linyanti BDF camp and their co-accused Thuso Molapisi (36), a mechanic at Wilderness’s Dumatau camp.
The particulars of the offence are that the accused persons acting together and in concert on or about the 11th day of December 2024, near Linyanti murdered a 27-year-old male, Sabata Sipinda. On another count the accused persons are reported to have acted together and in concert during the same day near Linyanti, without lawful excuse causing a grievous harm to Sipinda’s companion Mbumbulwa Waiti aged 29 while under their custody.
It is reported that the officers found four people fishing at Linyanti area and managed to arrest two of them while others fled the scene.
It is alleged that while under arrest the duo suffered assaults as their bodies had bruises and thermal burns. The other victim (Sipinda) was declared dead at Kachikau Clinic after reportedly suffering an assault.
The accused person first appeared at Kasane Magistrate Court on the 20th December 2024 but they were remanded in custody as the matter was still under investigations.
The Investigating Officer of the case, Detective Assistant Commissioner Sergeant Marapo has however told court this week that they have managed to locate the two witnesses who escaped during the incident therefore did not object the accused granted bail.
He added that they also have managed to identify the names of the two witnesses and they are making arrangements with Zambian police to meet with them. But Marapo pleaded for the accused persons not to engage with the two witnesses while on bail.
Marapo indicated following a post mortem examination conducted on the 21st December 2024 the deceased was handed to his family while the survivor who was released from Kasane Primary Hospital on the 24th December last year was also handed to his family on the 2nd January 2024.
Taking into considerations the deliberations presented by the Investigating Officer, Kasane Senior Magistrate Wame Mosugelo granted the accused person conditional bail. She ordered that they should report either at Kachikau or Selebi-Phikwe police stations once a month, pay a bail amount of P1500 each and that they provide two sureties of local origins who shall bind themselves with P3000 each. Mosugelo further ordered for them not to interfere with the victims whilst out on bail.
The matter has been scheduled for mention on the 17th February 2025.
