An assistant operations officer at Seabelo Express, Mosimanegape Sebuduladi, on Thursday confessed in Court that he does not know if the woman he had seen chasing a young boy who later got into their car next to Water Utilities in Gaborone on March 25, 2005 was the same woman who later stopped next to their car by the traffic lights and asked them where they were taking the boy to.
Sebuduladi said this during a trial in which Mmabatho Sekgoma is facing charges of having abducted a Tshwaragano Primary school boy two years ago.
Asked by the defence lawyer why he was not able to remember this fact, Sebuduladi said that it was because he did not think much about the incident when it occurred.
According to him, he had earlier on, when seeing the boy emerging from the bushes crying, asked the driver to stop for him because he was concerned as he was crying. After reaching the car, he said that the small boy opened the car door and got in behind the driver’s seat. He told the court that, whilst in the car, the young boy told them that a woman wanted to steal him.
The woman whom he said had been chasing the small boy arrived at the car and tried in vain to open the door as the small boy had locked it after getting in.
As she stood outside, he said, the woman asked them where they were taking the young boy as she intended to take him to school.
When later asked by Boko during cross examination why the statement he had made to the police did not contain any information about the small boy crying during the incident, Sebuduladi did not have a clear answer.
Sebuduladi also told the court that they finally dropped the small boy at Naledi Police Station and that the Police later followed them to their work place to take statements concerning the incident.
Gaborone Chief Magistrate, Lot Moroka, is presiding over the case whilst Wesson Manchwe from the Directorate of Public Prosecution is prosecuting Manchwe has indicated that he will call three more witnesses.
The case is next scheduled to be heard on October 25 and 26.
