Hopolang Mokhopi
THE suspected killers of former Disaster Management Authority (DMA)’s acting Chief Executive Officer, ’Makhotso Mahosi, tried to sell her car to popular Kolonyama businessman, Tšeliso Sekhoacha, soon after the murder.
Mr Sekhoacha told the High Court that Ms Mahosi’s driver, Mohlanka Matsipa, tried to sell him a black Mercedes Benz vehicle, only for him to later learn that it belonged to the slain Ms Mahosi when contacted by the police.
Matsipa is currently standing trial before Justice ’Maliepollo Makhetha, accused of the 29 October 2023 murder of Ms Mahosi and her son Kabelo Mahosi, as well as the attempted murder of Ms Mahosi’s helper, Lineo Thoola.
Matsipa stands accused alongside Mohau Ramookho and Mpho Neo Taelo.
They also face armed robbery, unlawful possession of a firearm and motor vehicle theft charges.
Preliminary police investigations had revealed that Matsipa allegedly orchestrated the murder plot, hoping to get a large sum of money from the house.
Matsipa had visited Ms Mahosi’s home on the day of the attack. Shortly after, Ramookho and Taelo, armed with guns, stormed the house and demanded money.
Matsipa had assumed that Ms Mahosi, who faced a litany of fraud and corruption charges, was keeping large sums of money in the house after the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Offences had earlier confiscated M500,000 hidden at Ms Mahosi mother’s home in Mafeteng.
The trial kicked off on Monday with Mr Sekhoacha as the first Crown witness.
He explained how Matsipa had tried to sell him a car which he later discovered belonged to the late Ms Mahosi.
“He called me to discuss a car, explaining that the vehicle in question belonged to his boss, Makhotso Mahosi, and was purchased in Durban for M200,000 using workplace funds. Matsipa also claimed that the DCEO was pursuing the car, which was why he needed to sell it quickly,” Mr Sekhoacha told the court.
“I asked him why they couldn’t return the vehicle to the dealership to sell it back to them so as to get back their money, but Matsipa responded, saying that since the DCEO was behind them, it wasn’t easy for him to travel back to Durban.”
Mr Sekhoacha said he asked Matsipa to send pictures of the vehicle, but he never did, and that was the last conversation they had about the car.
After this he said he received a strange call from an unknown number on 15 November 2023.
“It rang twice, and I didn’t answer it, thinking it was one of my truck drivers. The next morning, at around 4am, I checked my phone for any WhatsApp messages, but there were none. Shortly after, the same number called again. I decided to answer it, and a male voice asked if I recognised it. I lied and said yes because I wanted to hear what it was about.
“The caller said he had left seeds underneath the filling station roof and that I needed to remove them quickly because it was raining.”
Mr Sekhoacha said he then called his son, Makhabane, who had left to open the filling station, and instructed him to check for the seeds at the garage. But Makhabene told him there were no such things in sight.
Instead, Makhabane told him that the only thing he was seeing was a Mercedes Benz A-Class hatchback.
“At 6am, Matsipa called again, this time from a different number. He asked if I had inspected the vehicle. I told him I normally head to work around 7am.”
When he finally arrived at the Kolonyama filling station, he saw the Mercedes Benz but did not approach it.
“I didn’t get closer to the car; I went straight to my office.”
Later, Matsipa called once again, asking whether Mr Sekhoacha had inspected the car and Mr Sekhoacha told him it was raining and suggested Matsipa should come to explain.
“But he asked if I was coming to Maseru. I told him I didn’t have any errands that would take me to Maseru. He promised to come but never did.”
On 17 December 2023, while on his way to South Africa, Mr Sekhoacha said he received a call from Inspector Sam Moeketsi of Pitso Ground Police Station.
“He asked me if I knew anything about the car and I said, yes. He instructed me to bring the vehicle to the police station, but I informed him I was heading to South Africa. I promised to send my son Makhabane to deliver the car.”
Another witness, retired Insp Moeketsi, who was deployed at Lithoteng as the Head of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), stated that on 29 October 2023, his team received a report of gunshots at Matala Phase I, where some people had been killed and investigations began immediately.
He explained that on 6 November 2023, he called Matsipa for a short interview since he had been present at the scene during the incident.
Insp Moeketsi said there were inconsistencies in the statement that raised suspicions.
For example, the witness initially said he went to the deceased’s house wearing pyjamas but later denied this. He said Matsipa had said he had gone to the deceased’s house to apologise for not fulfilling a promise to help with grocery shopping. Two men then entered the house and started beating him before he was told to leave and was not targeted further, which allowed him to escape.
Insp Moeketsi said he also received a call from Ms Mahosi’s spouse, Haretsebe Mahosi, asking him to question Matsipa about his wife’s Mercedes-Benz A200, which a driver, Teluntšo Mahloane, alleged Matsipa intended to sell.
He also received information from the Special Unit Operation (SOU) at Mabote Police Station that two men in their custody were linked to the Matala Phase I incident.
The following day, the suspects were brought to Police Headquarters with a red school bag labelled “Volcano,” a Dell laptop, and two pistols — a Parabellum and a Black Star. They were subsequently charged with the murder of Ms Mahosi and Kabelo Mahosi, as well as the attempted murder of Ms Thoola.
Justice Makhetha inspected the Mercedes-Benz A-Class hatchback belonging to Ms Mahosi at the High Court grounds and the car was presented by Inspector Moeketsi as part of his evidence in the case.
The trial will proceed on the date yet to be set by the court.