A woman with severe facial injuries shocked Kanye Magistrate Court on Monday, pleading for release of the man accused of assaulting her, saying she forgave him after learning she is pregnant with his child.
One Lame Matonyane (25) who appeared in court accompanied by her parents, asked the court to grant bail to her boyfriend, Selebogo Mmoniemang, 33, despite the injuries she allegedly suffered during the attack that occurred on 9th June. According to information presented before court, Matonyane's left ear was sliced several times, her left eye was stabbed, leaving parts of the eye exposed, and she was allegedly struck on the head with a quart beer bottle. Mmoniemang is facing a single count of unlawful wounding. During the proceedings before Principal Magistrate Lentlhabetse Willie,
Matonyane told the court she no longer wished to pursue the matter and had forgiven the accused. She also revealed that she had recently discovered she was pregnant with his child and wanted him released on bail. Speaking to The Midweek Sun outside court, she disclosed that it is entirely her decision to forgive her boyfriend. "Ke raagwe ngwanake, ga kena sepe le batsadi," she said. The revelation came as a surprise after her parents had earlier told The Midweek Sun they were opposed to any attempt to withdraw the case. The elderly couple said this was not the first time their daughter had allegedly been assaulted by Mmoniemang. They claimed previous incidents had been forgiven, only for the violence to continue.
"This time we nearly lost her, she had her left eye stabbed with a knife and almost destroyed," her worried father said. Despite their concerns, they admitted that the final decision rests with their daughter.
"It is her case. We have no say if she wants to forgive him," they said.
Magistrate Willie expressed concern over the victim's request, warning that withdrawing cases involving serious domestic violence could place victims at greater risk. He cautioned that should the case be withdrawn and the woman later lose her life, the public would question the court's decision.
The magistrate postponed the matter to July 29 and granted Mmoniemang conditional bail. The accused was ordered to bind himself with P5,000, provide two sureties, and remain at least 50 metres away from the complainant. Outside court, however, Matonyane said she did not agree with the condition requiring the accused to stay 50 metres away from her. The case has once again brought into focus a troubling pattern seen in many Gender-Based Violence (GBV) cases, where victims choose to forgive or reconcile with alleged abusers despite suffering repeated assaults.
Over the years, Botswana has recorded numerous cases in which women reported abusive partners to police but later withdrew the complaints.
In several instances, some victims later lost their lives at the hands of the same partners.
Bakgatla ba Mmanaana Chief Oscar Mosielele believes the cycle of violence will continue unless tougher measures are introduced to discourage repeated withdrawals in serious GBV cases. Speaking to The Midweek Sun, Mosielele said repeated reconciliations after violent attacks frustrate efforts to fight GBV.
"There should be a penalty that seriously addresses this situation, police officers spend time and resources responding to these incidents. They travel long distances, investigate the cases and search for suspects.
Then, before the matter is concluded, some victims decide to withdraw everything. If this continues, it becomes difficult to win the fight against gender-based violence," Mosielele said.
Botswana continues to battle high levels of GBV despite campaigns encouraging victims to report abuse and seek protection.
Figures presented recently by the Ministry of Youth and Gender Affairs before Parliament show that 7,517 violence-related cases were recorded between January and March this year.
Of these, 2,228 were classified as gender-based violence cases, slightly higher than the 2,174 recorded during the same period in 2025. The same report recorded 520 rape cases and 487 defilement cases during the first quarter of 2026, reflecting the continued vulnerability of women and children.
The country's 2018 Botswana National Relationship Study also found that 37 percent of women and 21 percent of men have experienced some form of violence during their lifetime.
Government continues to work with dikgosi, churches and civil society organisations to challenge attitudes that fuel domestic violence.
Since 2019, more than 550 traditional leaders have received specialised training on preventing and responding to GBV through a programme supported by the United Nations Development Programme.
For many campaigners, however, the challenge extends beyond law enforcement. They argue that emotional attachment, financial dependence, family pressures and children often influence victims to return to abusive relationships, making it harder to break the cycle of violence.
The case has been postponed to July 29 for a status hearing.
One Lame Matonyane (25) who appeared in court accompanied by her parents, asked the court to grant bail to her boyfriend, Selebogo Mmoniemang, 33, despite the injuries she allegedly suffered during the attack that occurred on 9th June. According to information presented before court, Matonyane's left ear was sliced several times, her left eye was stabbed, leaving parts of the eye exposed, and she was allegedly struck on the head with a quart beer bottle. Mmoniemang is facing a single count of unlawful wounding. During the proceedings before Principal Magistrate Lentlhabetse Willie,
Matonyane told the court she no longer wished to pursue the matter and had forgiven the accused. She also revealed that she had recently discovered she was pregnant with his child and wanted him released on bail. Speaking to The Midweek Sun outside court, she disclosed that it is entirely her decision to forgive her boyfriend. "Ke raagwe ngwanake, ga kena sepe le batsadi," she said. The revelation came as a surprise after her parents had earlier told The Midweek Sun they were opposed to any attempt to withdraw the case. The elderly couple said this was not the first time their daughter had allegedly been assaulted by Mmoniemang. They claimed previous incidents had been forgiven, only for the violence to continue.
"This time we nearly lost her, she had her left eye stabbed with a knife and almost destroyed," her worried father said. Despite their concerns, they admitted that the final decision rests with their daughter.
"It is her case. We have no say if she wants to forgive him," they said.
Magistrate Willie expressed concern over the victim's request, warning that withdrawing cases involving serious domestic violence could place victims at greater risk. He cautioned that should the case be withdrawn and the woman later lose her life, the public would question the court's decision.
The magistrate postponed the matter to July 29 and granted Mmoniemang conditional bail. The accused was ordered to bind himself with P5,000, provide two sureties, and remain at least 50 metres away from the complainant. Outside court, however, Matonyane said she did not agree with the condition requiring the accused to stay 50 metres away from her. The case has once again brought into focus a troubling pattern seen in many Gender-Based Violence (GBV) cases, where victims choose to forgive or reconcile with alleged abusers despite suffering repeated assaults.
Over the years, Botswana has recorded numerous cases in which women reported abusive partners to police but later withdrew the complaints.
In several instances, some victims later lost their lives at the hands of the same partners.
Bakgatla ba Mmanaana Chief Oscar Mosielele believes the cycle of violence will continue unless tougher measures are introduced to discourage repeated withdrawals in serious GBV cases. Speaking to The Midweek Sun, Mosielele said repeated reconciliations after violent attacks frustrate efforts to fight GBV.
"There should be a penalty that seriously addresses this situation, police officers spend time and resources responding to these incidents. They travel long distances, investigate the cases and search for suspects.
Then, before the matter is concluded, some victims decide to withdraw everything. If this continues, it becomes difficult to win the fight against gender-based violence," Mosielele said.
Botswana continues to battle high levels of GBV despite campaigns encouraging victims to report abuse and seek protection.
Figures presented recently by the Ministry of Youth and Gender Affairs before Parliament show that 7,517 violence-related cases were recorded between January and March this year.
Of these, 2,228 were classified as gender-based violence cases, slightly higher than the 2,174 recorded during the same period in 2025. The same report recorded 520 rape cases and 487 defilement cases during the first quarter of 2026, reflecting the continued vulnerability of women and children.
The country's 2018 Botswana National Relationship Study also found that 37 percent of women and 21 percent of men have experienced some form of violence during their lifetime.
Government continues to work with dikgosi, churches and civil society organisations to challenge attitudes that fuel domestic violence.
Since 2019, more than 550 traditional leaders have received specialised training on preventing and responding to GBV through a programme supported by the United Nations Development Programme.
For many campaigners, however, the challenge extends beyond law enforcement. They argue that emotional attachment, financial dependence, family pressures and children often influence victims to return to abusive relationships, making it harder to break the cycle of violence.
The case has been postponed to July 29 for a status hearing.
