WITH LOVE FROM JAIL
Molepolole magistrate court has denied bail to Tshepho Sethibe, the man behind the social media platform, Moeladilotlhoko News Boiler, who calls himself the 'Uncle of the Nation.'
Principal Magistrate Solomon Setshedi ruled that Sethibe should remain behind bars while police complete investigations into allegations of incitement and offensive electronic communication.
Sethibe, 35, was arrested in connection with a Facebook post allegedly published on 17 February 2026. The post accused the Chief of Medie village of involvement in ritual-related killings.
Sethibe faces a charge of using offensive electronic communication contrary to Section 18 of the Cybercrime and Computer Related Act.
Prosecution argued that the matter is still under investigation and that releasing the accused at this stage could compromise the process. The State also informed the court that some electronic devices believed to be linked to
the alleged offences had not yet been recovered.
Although the prosecution conceded that Sethibe was not a flight risk, the central issue before the court was whether his release could pose a danger to the complainant and the public.
Delivering his ruling, Magistrate Setshedi said the court was not convinced that it would be in the interest of justice to grant bail.
“The application for the accused’s bail is therefore dismissed. The accused is further remanded in custody pending the finalisation of the investigation,” he ruled.
The complainant, Kgosi Moatlhodi Emmanuel Kgabo, who serves as Headman of Records in Medie, told the court that he feared for his life after social media users allegedly reacted to Sethibe’s posts with threatening comments.
He testified that he had since relocated to Gaborone with his family out of concern for their safety.
After weighing the evidence presented by the two State witnesses, the court found that there was a likelihood that Sethibe, if released, could endanger the complainant or members of the public.
“It is this court’s view that there is likelihood that the accused, if he were released on bail, may endanger the safety of the public and the complainant,” Magistrate Setshedi said.
He said cases of this nature often require detailed digital investigations, which take time. The court was satisfied that investigators needed more time to complete their work.
The magistrate also took into account that there had been other cases opened against Sethibe in the past which were later withdrawn. While the defence argued that those withdrawals demonstrated a pattern of weak cases
against their client, the court expressed concern about the possibility of repeated conduct.
“It is also my view that the accused may continue to commit offences if admitted to bail today,” Setshedi added.
The defence argued that the accused should be presumed innocent until proven guilty, adding that he has been arrested on similar allegations six times since 2022, with the cases eventually withdrawn.
Outside court, well-wishers and curious onlookers gathered in large numbers, eager to hear the outcome of the bail application.
Sethibe, who has a large following on social media, has built his platform around issues of governance, alleged ritual killings and what he calls the protection of ordinary citizens.
At the centre of his activism is a demand for stronger legal provisions to address cases in which people are killed for mutilation or disappear without a trace, only for their bodies to be discovered later with missing body parts.
Sethibe has consistently said he wants a specific clause in the law that deals directly with such crimes.
While in custody at Molepolole State Prison, Sethibe wrote a letter to his followers dated 28 February. He assured his supporters whom he refers to as 'Baeladilotlhoko' and 'Batlogolo,' that he remained strong.
He told them not to be troubled by his arrest and detention, saying he would return. He described himself as bold and fearless, maintaining that nothing in the nation would silence or intimidate him.
In the letter, he reiterated his stance against what he calls the ‘eating of people’ and unexplained disappearances in Botswana.
“I remain bold, fearless, unshaken and maintain a stand that nothing in this nation will silence or intimidate me,” he wrote, signing off as 'Uncle of the Nation.'