Some people never forget. An 18-year-old man, who was arraigned before the Urban Customary Court President, Kgosi Dikwalo Monametso, told the court this Friday that he assaulted the complainant, Atlang Ben, in retaliation since Ben once assaulted him when they were young.
Neo Ketshabetswe, a resident of New Naledi in Gaborone but originally from Basimane Ward in Serowe, pleaded guilty to the charges of assaulting Ben, occasioning actual bodily harm under Section 247 of the penal code.
According to the evidence presented to the court by the State Prosecutor from the Central Police Station, Constable Bakae, Ketshabetswe saw Ben on the night of September 27, 2006, while on his way home from Bontleng Shops. Ketshabetswe then reminded Ben that he had once beaten him up when he was young; then the fight started.
Bakae told the court that Ketshabetswe took a beer bottle and hit Ben with it, leaving him with road maps of scars.
After Ben reported to the police, he was taken to the hospital because he was bleeding profusely from his neck. Ketshabetswe was arrested the following day. He admitted assaulting Ben with a bottle and pleaded guilty to the charges of assault.
Kgosi Monametsi sentenced Ketshabetswe to one year in jail, wholly suspended for three years, plus five strokes on the bum.
In another case, Rantlheng Sebanka, 43, who is a resident of New Stands in Gaborone but from Logaba Ward in Kanye, was this Friday arraigned before the Urban Customary Court charged with assault
According to the evidence presented to the court by State Prosecutor from Urban Police Station, Constable Bakae, the court heard that the complainant, Okae Lister Ramokhutshwane, repairs radios at the New Stance Market. Sebanka went to Ramokhutshwane and demanded to be given his radio back but assaulted him with a spanner causing Ramokhutshwane to be rushed to hospital for treatment.
Bakae said Sebanka had taken his radio to Ramokhutshwane for repairs last year but Ramokhutshwane sold it and later claimed that he did not receive any radio from Sebanka.
Reading out his previous convictions, Bakae told the court that Sebanka was arrested for assault on March 17, 1988 at Lobatse and was sentenced to four strokes by Lobatse Customary Court. Again September 12, 1996, at Gaborone West Customary Court, he was fined P360 for driving without a license.
In mitigation, Sebanka asked the court not to send him to prison because he was working and taking care of his children and wife.
Kgosi Monametsi sentenced him to one year in jail, wholly suspended for three years. He was also fined P300 to be paid before October 31, 2006, failing which he would be jailed for five months
