DEATH BY AXE
A man accused of killing his mother, dismembering her body with an axe, and placing a wardrobe over her remains, appeared before the Kanye Magistrate court last Wednesday.
Kefentse Keke Rangaka, 37, dressed in black and holding a red Kappa bag, appeared before Magistrate Keneilwe Kgoadi to face a murder charge. He is accused of murdering his 59-year-old mother, Keafiwa Rangaka, with whom he had been living at Kgano ward in Kanye.
After the incident, he fled the scene, prompting a police manhunt. He was arrested four days later. The suspect is alleged to have been troublesome to the family and is accused of having killed a neighbour in the past, using a three-legged pot, at their home.
Upon entering the dock for arraignment, the murder accused was informed of his right to seek legal representation. He confidently told the court that he would represent himself. When the court noted that he was unemployed, he clarified that he is an electrician by profession.
The case prosecutor, Sub-Inspector Andy Motsumi, requested the court to further remand the accused and called on the investigating officer to provide reasons for the remand. The investigating officer expressed concern that if granted bail, the accused's life might be in danger, as family members who are still angry and grieving, might attack him.
The investigating officer added that a post-mortem had already been conducted and the results were pending collection from the laboratory. He emphasised that the entire family of the accused remains aggrieved, noting that this was not the first time he had assaulted his mother, but this time, he had killed her.
The accused, Kefentse, attempted to defend himself, claiming that he had never assaulted his mother. However, the prosecutor insisted on calling the accused's younger brother, Kago Rangaka, to testify.
Kefentse stood silently and did not oppose the prosecution's decision to remand him, nor did he agree or refuse to have his brother called to testify. As a result, the prosecution did not proceed with calling Kago to the stand.
When asked if he had any questions, the accused complained about the possibility of someone preventing him from attending his mother's burial, stating that no one else would take on that responsibility.
He also mentioned that he was unwell and had a scheduled doctor's appointment. The magistrate assured him that prison officers would make arrangements for him to see the doctor. He was then remanded for a month and is scheduled to appear in court again on October 7th.
The Midweek Sun spoke to a number of his relatives and neighbours last week before he was finally arrested, and they had expressed fear that he could harm them as well. They spend four days uneasy and not knowing where the accused come emerge from especially with knowledge that he had in the past killed another person. On the other hand, speaking ahead of his arrest according to a close relative, the accused is said to have claimed that his mother locked him out of the house when he returned home in the evening. He stated that he kicked the door once, breaking it, and then entered the house.
"I only saw myself knocking down the locked door and breaking it to enter. I did not see myself killing my mother," Kefentse is reported to have said when asked why he did what he did. The mother’s lifeless body was found in her house in Goo Kgano ward in a pool of blood. The accused was later arrested on Monday having fled the murder scene the preceding Thursday. The accused is said to have claimed that he was walking to the police station to hand himself in on the day he got arrested.
It is alleged that the accused had once beaten her, causing her to go into a coma. After recovering, she moved to Lobatse out of fear of her son but at a later stage, she returned to her home in Kanye, where she was killed.
Kefentse Keke Rangaka, 37, dressed in black and holding a red Kappa bag, appeared before Magistrate Keneilwe Kgoadi to face a murder charge. He is accused of murdering his 59-year-old mother, Keafiwa Rangaka, with whom he had been living at Kgano ward in Kanye.
After the incident, he fled the scene, prompting a police manhunt. He was arrested four days later. The suspect is alleged to have been troublesome to the family and is accused of having killed a neighbour in the past, using a three-legged pot, at their home.
Upon entering the dock for arraignment, the murder accused was informed of his right to seek legal representation. He confidently told the court that he would represent himself. When the court noted that he was unemployed, he clarified that he is an electrician by profession.
The case prosecutor, Sub-Inspector Andy Motsumi, requested the court to further remand the accused and called on the investigating officer to provide reasons for the remand. The investigating officer expressed concern that if granted bail, the accused's life might be in danger, as family members who are still angry and grieving, might attack him.
The investigating officer added that a post-mortem had already been conducted and the results were pending collection from the laboratory. He emphasised that the entire family of the accused remains aggrieved, noting that this was not the first time he had assaulted his mother, but this time, he had killed her.
The accused, Kefentse, attempted to defend himself, claiming that he had never assaulted his mother. However, the prosecutor insisted on calling the accused's younger brother, Kago Rangaka, to testify.
Kefentse stood silently and did not oppose the prosecution's decision to remand him, nor did he agree or refuse to have his brother called to testify. As a result, the prosecution did not proceed with calling Kago to the stand.
When asked if he had any questions, the accused complained about the possibility of someone preventing him from attending his mother's burial, stating that no one else would take on that responsibility.
He also mentioned that he was unwell and had a scheduled doctor's appointment. The magistrate assured him that prison officers would make arrangements for him to see the doctor. He was then remanded for a month and is scheduled to appear in court again on October 7th.
The Midweek Sun spoke to a number of his relatives and neighbours last week before he was finally arrested, and they had expressed fear that he could harm them as well. They spend four days uneasy and not knowing where the accused come emerge from especially with knowledge that he had in the past killed another person. On the other hand, speaking ahead of his arrest according to a close relative, the accused is said to have claimed that his mother locked him out of the house when he returned home in the evening. He stated that he kicked the door once, breaking it, and then entered the house.
"I only saw myself knocking down the locked door and breaking it to enter. I did not see myself killing my mother," Kefentse is reported to have said when asked why he did what he did. The mother’s lifeless body was found in her house in Goo Kgano ward in a pool of blood. The accused was later arrested on Monday having fled the murder scene the preceding Thursday. The accused is said to have claimed that he was walking to the police station to hand himself in on the day he got arrested.
It is alleged that the accused had once beaten her, causing her to go into a coma. After recovering, she moved to Lobatse out of fear of her son but at a later stage, she returned to her home in Kanye, where she was killed.
