Kidnap suspects denied bail
By Nat Molomo
MASERU — The Maseru Magistrates’ Court on Monday denied bail to two constables who are facing charges of kidnapping a 14-year-old boy.
Tšepo Mohami and Bataung Thulo are charged with kidnapping Tšepang Bulane, a Lesotho High School student on February 11.
Bulane was on his way to school when he was kidnapped, according to the prosecution.
The case took a bizarre twist two weeks ago after the court heard that Thulo was in a romantic relationship with the boy’s mother, ’Matšepang Bulane.
Denying bail to the duo Maseru senior resident magistrate, ’Makampong Mokhoro, said the court could only grant bail to the accused under conditions “which this court cannot impose”.
“To give (Matšepang), her children and her brother assurance that they will be safe the only condition to impose would be that the children should be given round the clock security at their schools; that they be escorted to and from school and that an escort be posted outside the classroom of each one of them at their respective schools. The court would also have to order that (Matšepang) should be escorted to and from work. The court would finally have to order that 24-hour security be posted at their place of residence.
“Those are conditions which this court cannot impose unless if the court could have been informed that there is a witness protection programme available,” Mokhoro said.
She ruled that the matter be set down during the next remand “to avoid keeping the accused, who may be innocent, in custody for a long period”.
The two were remanded to appear in court on March 28, 2013.
Mokhoro said there were a number of victims who were members of a family.
She said a witness, Retšelisitsoe Mahoele, had told the court that he had been picking Matšepang’s children from school and were no longer moving about freely since the kidnapping incident.
“This goes without saying that they feel they need protection and that their harmonious development is already greatly being hampered,” she said.
“That the accused are in detention gives them some sense of security, though to a limited extent. If the accused were to be released from custody that limited sense of security will completely be taken away from them.”
Mokhoro said Matšepang, as a mother, “fears for her children and she strongly believes, rightly or wrongly, that Tšepang was kidnapped by Thulo with the assistance of Mohami to get back at her”.
“If the accused persons are released she stands to lose some sense of protection and, as opposed to the accused persons, she will lose her job if she goes into hiding and stays away from work . . .
“The most detrimental effect of that loss of security will be that she will decide not to assist the court by offering her son to give evidence and she will not give evidence herself for fear of her life and the life of her children and this will greatly prejudice the interests of justice,” she said.
Comment by ntja ngoanabo fariki on 21 March 2013:
hona ke mathata, jwale ho hlokahala ho katoe maponesa khahlanong le maponesa ha bona ba tlameha ho kata sechaba ;e thepa ea sona khahlanong le litlokotsebe. o ba timme bail hantle ‘me meleko ena ea batho
Comment by Maponts'o on 21 March 2013:
Batho ba Molimo, le ha ke sa tsebe molao hakaalo, ne ke nahana hore Ts’epang Bulane is under age and shoud be protected. Hobaneng le bolela lebitso la hae, le tsoohle ka eena?????? Haholo litabeng tsa mofuta ooo? Oooeeeeee!!!!! Lesotho Times!!!!! Nahanang harrassment eo a e fumanang sekolong
Comment by S'bongile on 21 March 2013:
tshireletsang bana hle. ke bo na bokamoso ba rona.
Comment by Kamanga Malawi on 21 March 2013:
‘M’e Letona la Mehleng Mpeo Mahase Moiloa o kae joale bana ha ba ts’ireletsoe ha ba le uender age, Lesotho Times hantle le ea loya
Comment by Maponyane tholong on 21 March 2013:
Batho ba molimo lona ba ntseng ba hlahisa litaba tsa lona “Lesotho Times” le lokela ho hlokomela hore lesotho times e bolela litaba tsenang le bo paki mme ba bua ka litaba tseo re lokelang holi ela hloko le hotseba ka taba tse joalo. Hobaneng lesa qose li-radio le baphatlalatsi ba bang? ho hlokahala relokela hlokomela mofuta o mong le o mong oa motho, ele lepolesa kapa lesole ba kotsi!
Comment by china girl on 21 March 2013:
ne haow yung basotho! nice haaaeo uena ke oa talka ngoana oa mosotho under age.nononononon no nice. enough, enough. china ke oa t`soaroa qapolla ngoana kidnappep too much. me call police china cum lesotho nw nw take thulo n friend nw nw.
Comment by Lekhoakhoa on 22 March 2013:
Blyme I must be getting old, what language is @china girl using?
Comment by Mawande on 22 March 2013:
Hona ke bothata ruri ebe balekani ba mapolesa aa ba kae? Chehe! Bana ba bona bona ba ntse ba reng ka bo ntate ba tjee? Ea itlontlolotseng le ho feta ke enoa ea ntseng a felehetse mokoetili enoa. La tla la beha mapolesa fatshe.
Comment by Siba-la-mpshe on 22 March 2013:
Justice system ea Lesotho ke hona e tla hola. Empa ke rata se entsoeng ke Maseterata eno. Pele-ea-pele ‘Me.
Comment by pere on 22 March 2013:
Thulo deserves to be in jail bcoz he is a cruel monster who doesn’t care and he thinks he is smart.
Comment by Lebohang on 22 March 2013:
Joo ke tseba maponesa ele bo mothusi metsoalle empa joale this time ba etsa ntho tse makatsang ruri,haba shejoe ka leihlo le leng.
Comment by Morantja on 22 March 2013:
Ebe ho tla fihla tlhokomelong ea batho neng hore re ntho ele ‘ngoe,no matter na u lepolesa,lesole,morutehi,molisana?
Comment by THOKOLOSI on 24 March 2013:
ke hore feela re hloka maponesa a ileng sekolong lea tseba, batho ba ba tla bona hore molao oa tshireletswa jwang ha ba sa tsebe ho bala molao hoba ke lumela hantle hore le mission statement ea bona e le maponesa e re ba tla tsireletsa batho le thepa ea bona. re sa siee article 35 ea UN Convention on the rights of the child ka thoko. ke kopa ba tswareloe le ho se tsebe na mosebetsing ba etseng bano kapo ke ba moo bao ereng ha ho thoe ba nke kano ebe ntse ba buelloa ke ba bang jwale ba qetelle ba sa tsebe na ba nkile kano efe? Ba shape libono tsena ‘me le bona ba utloe na ho jwang ho shapuoa libono jwalo ka ha e ngoe ofisiri ea bona ea Maseru mona eo nkekeng ka e bitsa ka lebitso ha joale e ileng ea ema medieng ea re ba tlo re shapa libono tsena. re kopana u ba utloise ho jwang tle ba tsebe ho imamela hantle nakong e tlang.
Comment by mpotseng makako on 25 March 2013:
jo
Comment by Vampire on 25 March 2013:
Matsepang ha ska itlhants’a hle! Ke ha kotula tholoana
tsa bohlola ha etsa tjena.Ha tlohele ho hloliea ka securit
Comment by Sa 'malikotoana on 26 March 2013:
Uena Vampire oa pota joale. Haeba Matsepang ke sehlola,ngoana eena o kena kae moo hore ebe o ntse a hlorisoa?
Comment by mary on 27 March 2013:
nyatsi hae hlokahale hoba ka mehla ditholoana tsa teng di bosula.basidi tlohelang ho nyatsiela hleng le ea re tlotlolla rele bo me jwale rona e leng hona retlo kena re tla etsa jwang