Man charged in viral police officer attack denies guilt, labeled dangerous
Appearing cool-headed and self-assured in the dock this past week, Kesaobaka Romeo Thebolo showed no sign of remorse as he responded to charges of assaulting a police officer.
Calm, articulate, and confident, Thebolo basked in the presumption of innocence, a principle he now leans on as he fights for bail.
Facing Magistrate Solomon Setshedi at the Molepolole Magistrates’ Court, Thebolo looked him straight in the eye and boldly declared: “I have a life out there. The police just want me jailed for the heck of it. They have no proof that I did anything wrong.”
Thebolo is allegedly the man seen in a viral video hurling stones at a uniformed officer. Yet in court, he distanced himself from the footage, saying, “Do not talk to me about social media, I know nothing about it.”
Investigating officer, Kabelo Mfolwe, asked the court to deny Thebolo bail, describing him as a dangerous individual who ‘changes personalities to deceive.’
He testified that Thebolo attacked the officer without warning and was allegedly carrying a knife at the time, intending to do serious harm. Fortunately, the officer fled for dear life.
“This man is not new to violence,” Mfolwe said.
“He has a pending 2024 case in which he stabbed a woman several times and even damaged her eye so severely she lost vision, after she refused his advances. He is manipulating the court with his calm demeanour. He is a threat to the public and the police.”
But Thebolo dismissed the allegations outright.
“You have no proof of those things. What if your victim statements are made up? You cannot deny me bail just because you assume I am a shady person. I do not know your witnesses; how can I tamper with investigations if I do not even know who they are?”
He also demanded the return of his identity documents, claiming he needed them to access essential services.
“My life depends on those documents. I cannot even get help at the bank without them,” he said.
The accused also publicly admitted that he has two ongoing stock theft cases with a different magistrate and one of bar breaking, which he challenged, saying it has been withdrawn.
However, the police argued otherwise. Thebolo has four cases to answer for at the Molepolole court.
The prosecution urged the court not to be fooled by Thebolo’s composed appearance, warning that behind the polished words lies a dangerous man with no regard for the law.
The court will deliver its ruling on his bail application next week.