BDP MP charged in stock theft case

Botswana Democratic Party Member of Parliament (MP) for Nata-Gweta, Polson Majaha and four others have been charged with a single count of stock theft.

The four others are Shadreck Mochabange, Tshokolo Mochabange, Semphete Malindi and Goletwang Mpule Majaha, Malindi and Mpule did not turn up for mention at Francistown Magistrate court this week. The prosecutor, Mothusi Meshack told court that the absent accused persons had refused to receive summons ordering them to appear in court. 

The particulars of the offence show that the five accused persons were found in possession of the carrion and hide of a “tshunyana-khunwana” cow on August 16 2006, at Komtsia cattle post in Dukwi village, which was reasonably suspected to be stolen.

Shadreck Mochabange told court that Mpule was not in court because he had gone to see a doctor. He said that even the police were aware of this. His brother on the other hand told court that he did not know why he’d been brought to court.“I do not know what I am doing here, I just got a call to come here,” Mochabange told the court. Meshack then applied for a warrant of arrest to be issued against the absent accused persons.

Magistrate Kose Makobo said that for her to issue a warrant of arrest she should get a copy of return of service of summons. “I am reluctant to issue a warrant of arrest against the accused persons,” Makobo said. She ordered that the accused should return to court on the 2nd March.

Contacted for comment, Majaha told this publication that he had not received any summons. However, he confirmed that he was aware of the case and that it is a case that first emerged when his employees were being investigated and that he was not an accused in the case. He said that the case keeps emerging whenever elections are near as he explained that the case was dismissed by Dukwi police.

“In 2009 it was brought up again when I was campaigning for a council seat, and then in 2014 it was stirred up again,” the MP said, expressing that he is not surprised the issue is cropping up again as primary elections are around the corner.