- Councillor and other suspects released

The spokesperson of the Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS) Edward Robert says arresting someone does not mean that they are guilty.

And this is the case with the Member of Parliament (MP) for Lobatse Dr. Thapelo Matsheka who they detained from Tuesday until Judge Gaolapelwe Ketlogetswe ordered that the MP be released this past Sunday.

Matsheka’s wife through her lawyers Dick Bayford and Unoda Mack dragged DIS to court arguing that the MP was unlawfully detained and Judge Ketlogetswe agreed, resulting in the immediate release of Matsheka.

Matsheka was arrested in connection with the murder of six-year-old Lobatse boy Tlotso Karema who according to information before the court, died in April this year.

“When we arrested him, we were guided by the law, and in the event we are found to have overstepped there is recourse as we saw happening in court. When we bring in someone, we are not saying they are guilty.

“It just means that their name came up during our investigations and we need them to help clarify things. It should be noted that investigations of such cases take time, one lead leads us to another,” Robert said.

It is only after gathering facts that the investigating officers can hand the matter to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

Asked what their intentions are now that Matsheka is a free man, Robert said he was not in a position to tell if they will be appealing Ketlogetswe’s judgement or not.

However, their investigations are still ongoing.

Robert could not confirm or deny if they have released other suspects that the DIS had arrested last week.

However, sources close to the matter allege that the murdered boy’s aunt Nono Karema, Councillor for Peleng East Ontiretse Mosimanewamacha, and businessman Thuso Mantsi who were also arrested last week, have been released.

When contacted on Tuesday, Bayford said he had not received any instructions from his client on the way forward. Matsheka was unreachable on Tuesday. It is suspected that his phones are still with the DIS.