A 34-year-old woman from Kanye, Bakang Baleseng, appeared in court last Thursday with her unkempt-looking husband, asking that he be jailed or sent for psychiatric evaluation at Sbrana Mental Hospital.

The court heard that the husband had been held in police custody and was unable to bathe or stay clean. The case was presided over by Kanye Senior Magistrate Reuben Sebetlela. The prosecutor requested that charges be read and the plea be reserved.

Kago Baleseng, 42, Bakang's husband, stood silently in the dock and looked possibly mentally distracted. He was informed that he faces three charges.

The first charge being disobeying a court order. His wife claimed he violated a restraining order that prohibited him from approaching her, previously granted by the court due to allegations of abuse and assault in front of their children.

The second charge is vandalising property, which occurred in March 2023 when he allegedly damaged a house window with his fist and further damaged the house door.

The third charge involves tampering with a Security Systems vehicle on the same date, and is accused of using a knife to damage and flatten the vehicle tyres, causing damages amounting to P4,500.

The prosecutor also informed the court that he received documents from the wife requesting that the accused be sent to jail or to Sbrana Hospital for check-up, citing his missed appointments for check-ups.

Bakang said there has never been peace in their marriage, which began in 2020, citing allegations of abuse. She mentioned that they are currently in the process of divorce, which started in 2021.

She explained that during the seventh month of confinement, she was assaulted for no reason and decided to escape to her family home in Goo Motebejane ward.

She said they have not lived together for a long time and accused her husband of recently disobeying the restraining order by visiting her family home unannounced.

The wife came with her friend, who could not stop laughing at the husband's unkempt appearance until the magistrate ordered the friend to leave the court.

Given a chance to address the court, the husband denied everything his wife had said. He claimed that she constantly fabricates serious accusations against him for no reason, as part of a plan to separate him from her due to her new affair.

"I never entered their family home. I was surprised just last week when police officers came to my house, accusing me of disobeying the court order. There is no divorce process; legally, she is still my wife," he stated.

He said that he committed some of the crimes because he saw his wife with a new man while he was restricted from entering her family home.

The husband admitted to following the vehicle to where his wife and her boyfriend entered the house, and out of anger, he damaged the car tyres, emphasising that the woman is still legally his wife.

Magistrate Sebetlela asked the prosecutor if he believed the accused husband was unsound or mentally challenged, as the wife claimed.

The prosecutor responded that the husband appeared sound and not mentally challenged. The magistrate further inquired if the police had investigated the infidelity allegation, stating that to send someone for psychiatric assessment, there should be clear signs of mental instability rather than relying solely on someone's statement and the crimes committed in 2023.

The wife was asked by the court to submit any proof of the divorce. She provided a document showing she had sought advice on getting an attorney for a possible divorce. The court dismissed this document and announced that the two are legally married.

The court ignored the wife's plea and granted the husband bail, as he had been in police custody. The case will continue on July 11, 2024.