…claims High Court assistant registrar kept exhibit gun at home
Hopolang Mokhopi
IN a shocking twist of events, murder and attempted murder accused, Tšenoli Thamahane, has claimed that a High Court Assistant Registrar kept a court exhibit firearm at her home.
Testifying before Justice Palesa Rantara on Thursday, Thamahane told the High Court that he shot Advocate Tebello Mokhoema and her sister ’Malechakane Mokhoema in self-defence — claiming the latter was rushing to the bedroom to fetch a .38 Special revolver, a gun he said Tebello had taken from the court, where it was an exhibit in an unspecified case.
Thamahane was led in his defence by Advocate Katiso Nhlapho.
“When the deceased arrived, PW1 (Tebello) told her what had happened at the feast. She asked PW1 why they had beaten me up, not realising I was in the house,” Thamahane testified.
“When I stood up to confront her, she pulled me by the shirt. Since I was relaxed, I fell down. I don’t know what she hit me with, but I started bleeding on the chin. I tried to leave, but the deceased blocked the door. I asked PW1 to rebuke her sister and let me go, but she said nothing. The deceased then said I was not going anywhere because they were going to beat me up — that’s when I drew my gun.”
He added that the late ’Malechakane threatened to fetch Tebello’s gun from the bedroom but, instead, called a neighbour, Leabua, for help.
“I knew PW1 (Tebello) owned a firearm, a .38 revolver, which she said she had taken from the court’s exhibits,” he continued.
“When I started dating her, I asked if she had a gun. She told me it was an exhibit from the court and that its serial number had been erased.”
Thamahane said a scuffle then broke out, during which he shot ’Malechakane.
“I was at this point sitting down. Leabua came and said I was not the first man to lose (after spending on a woman) and my response was he should shut up; we would fix our issues.
“The deceased, who was furious, shouted that this time she was going to kill me. I stood up and shot her in the shoulder and stomach. People ran. I went out to get help and met PW1 (Tebello) on the way. I tried to reason with her to come back so we could help the deceased. She went to ‘Me Thakane’s home, and I followed her. When I entered, she reached for my waist where I had put the gun. We struggled for it until it went off. I saw her collapse. I left fearing people would harm me as they were coming in large numbers and reported myself to the police the next day.”
The accused, a driver at the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Offences (DCEO), faces charges of murdering ’Malechakane and attempting to murder Tebello in the 8 March 2025 shooting incident at the Mokhoema family home in Berea.
He denied reports that his relationship with Tebello had ended by March 2025, insisting they were still romantically attached and cohabiting.
Thamahane claimed their relationship was so serious that Tebello had even instructed him to file for divorce from his estranged wife.
“We lived together, shared a house, and even used the same vehicle to work from Monday to Thursday,” he said.
“One time, during a drinking session, Tebello called my wife and told her to forget about me because she would soon get a ‘surprise’. A month later, she told me she was pregnant — which I took to be the gift she (had) mentioned.”
He further claimed that he sometimes accompanied Tebello to court to assist with divorce cases and to deliver summons.
“I was basically working as a court sheriff,” he told the court.
His testimony was followed by a rigorous cross-examination by lead prosecutor, Adv Lehlohonolo Phooko, who highlighted contradictions in Thamahane’s account and argued that his statements demonstrated a clear intent to kill both sisters.
At one point, the accused withdrew parts of his evidence, admitting that some of his earlier statements were untrue. He also accused his lawyer of failing to ask certain questions he had requested.
For instance, Thamahane testified that the deceased had run into a room as if to fetch a gun but returned shouting for the children to call neighbours.
Advocate Phooko asserted that the accused was not telling the truth and insisted that neighbours witnessed the shooting.
Adv Phooko then pressed Thamahane on specific details, asking which leg the deceased had turned with.
When Thamahane answered “the right leg”, the prosecutor refuted his claim, stating that he had personally inspected the scene and knew precisely where the deceased had been standing.
Adv Phooko pointed out that Thamahane had not disputed the main evidence indicating that he fired several shots. The accused responded that his lawyer had failed to question witnesses about that point but later conceded that he had indeed fired multiple shots.
In closing, Adv Phooko told Thamahane to seek forgiveness from God, from the deceased’s family, and from himself.
Although the defence initially planned to call one more witness, it closed its case after Thamahane’s testimony. The prosecution is expected to file its heads of argument on 5 November, with the defence expected to respond the following day.
The matter has been adjourned to 11 November.
Earlier this week, the court heard a harrowing account from Tebello who said she survived the attack that claimed her younger sister’s life.
She testified that she met Thamahane in 2021 when he helped repair her car, and the two later began dating.
Tebello said she was attending a party in Maqhaka when she began receiving persistent calls from Thamahane. When she finally answered, she was shocked to hear her minor son’s voice on Thamahane’s phone, despite having left him at home less than an hour earlier.
Moments later, Thamahane gate crashed the party, grabbed her phone, and caused a commotion before leaving, she said.
As she was driving home, she said, she later noticed he was stalking her.
Upon arriving at home, she parked in the garage as she was offloading groceries Thamahane entered the house allegedly using her gate’s remote-control device.
When confronted about her phone, he claimed to have placed it on the table before suddenly shooting at ’Malechakane twice.
One bullet grazed Tebello’s ear. As she fled for help, Thamahane pursued her and shot her twice in the mouth at a neighbour’s house, leaving her critically injured.