The Voice Online - Botswana

When passing the ruling Extension II Magistrate’s Court, senior magistrate Abigail Masawi noted that it would not be in the interest of justice to grant the accused bail supporting the prosecution’s contention that they were a flight risk because they were of no fixed abode.
The two, Leader Ndebele and Kgololesego Bhebhe were applying for bail while another accused Bekezela Ncube never applied for bail. The three are facing two charges of armed robbery and theft of motor vehicle valued at more than half a million pula.
According to the magistrate the accused’s ties have not been shown to be deep seated in the country.
“The prejudice the State is likely to suffer if the accused were admitted to bail would be far much more than any that could be suffered by the accused persons. This court has pending cases with passports held at police stations where the accused have fled. On several occasions the sureties were signed by those who had ties through friendship and later it turned out that they could not account for the bond when brought before court,” said Masawi.
The magistrate went on to tell the court that their defence lawyer claimed that one of the accused had a girlfriend while another was said to be staying with his mother but both of these people never came forward to help the court.
The court therefore, denied granting bail because even the Interpol would not be able to trace them if they absconded because their addresses did not indicate their places of residence in Zimbabwe, she said.
Their defence also failed to convince the court how they obtained the ETD while in custody increasing the possibility that they could abscond, said Masawi.
The magistrate promised them that the court would make sure that the trial starts as quickly as possible before they rot in jail.