Corpun file 20863

The Voice, Francistown, 18 December 2008

Lashed

By Nomsa Ndlovu

"Spare the rod and spoil the child". These were the words of Kgosi Charles Letsholathebe of Maun as he disciplined an aggressive bully with five lashes for head butting a neighbour and leaving him with a stitched eye. State evidence revealed that the accused had not been provoked.

The groaning to the sweet bitterness of the whip of Tutume village born Ndagwadziwa Gonnamang 27, resident of Matomo ward, Maun, could be heard from outside the lashing room as the Chief and his police officers instilled manners in him.

In addition to the lashing, Gonnamang was also ordered to compensate the victim with P150 for the injuries sustained. Failure to do that within two weeks would leave the state with no choice, but to auction his belongings or jail him for four months.

According to the prosecution case, on the evening of the 31st of October 2008, Thabo Obakeng was cooking some meat in his courtyard when he decided to go into the house and collect some salt for seasoning.

On his way out, Gonnamang who had been stalking him charged and rammed him to the ground. A medical report form presented before the court as evidence revealed the seriousness of the harm caused. Now that his left eye is shrunk, Obakeng has to live with the fact that he has been maimed for life.

Copyright © 2008 The Voice Online Botswana's Favourite News and Entertainment. All Rights Reserved.

Corpun file 20872

The Voice, Francistown, 18 December 2008

Saved By Age

By Nomsa Ndlovu

Age has saved a woman batterer from corporal punishment at Maun Customary court, Monday morning. Sentencing 43-year old Paul Williams at the Maun customary court this week, Kgosi Charles Letsholathebe noted that if the security guard from Boseja ward was not over 40, he would have ordered that he be whipped seriously in order to mould him. "You are very fortunate that you are above the age of 40. Had that not been the case, I would have bended you on the bench, walloped your buttocks hard as a reminder that gender violence is a serious crime. Why do you want to spoil her beauty? Do you want to keep her to yourself and ban her from visiting her mother," Letsholathebe said.

Details of the case are that on the morning of the 13th of December 2003, Williams' girlfriend, Ednah Mafunga left their abode with her three children to visit her mother.

Upon return, jealous Williams refused to buy the story that she had been with her parent. He accused her of spending the day having sex with another man. As a result, he pulled her into the house, bashed her hard on the head until a relative, Fazile Mafunga heard her screams and intervened.

"We were called to the scene, we questioned the accused if indeed he has assaulted his girlfriend and he said yes. We warned and cautioned him for a charge of assault common," the prosecutor said

Williams left the court with a light a two months jail term, which has been suspended for four months.

Copyright © 2008 The Voice. All rights reserved.