Nkoate Thamae
MASERU — Three men who are facing charges of killing former Astoria Bakery managing director, Thabo Phohleli, will be back in the High Court next month when the court sits to set the date of their judgment.
The trio, Tello Mabusela, Seabata Ramohajane and Thabiso Sephula, appeared before Justice Thamsanqa Nomngcongo on Thursday.
The matter was postponed after counsel for both defence and crown addressed the court at the end of their cases last year.
Counsel representing the accused persons argued that the prosecution led by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Advocate Leaba Thetsane (KC), failed to prove its case against their clients.
In his submission Advocate Thulo Hoeane appearing for Mabusela told the court that as far as relevance goes, the most crucial piece of evidence was tendered by the accomplice witness Thabang Kotelo.
He said Kotelo showed that he along with Mabusela and Sephula abducted Phohleli near his gate at his Ha Tsolo home at gunpoint.
Hoeane said after the trio handcuffed Phohleli, they bundled him into the back of his bakkie and drove him to Ha Ramatsa where they allegedly shot him dead later that day.
Hoeane said in his testimony, Kotelo was adamant that Mabusela actually shot Phohleli.
Under cross-examination, Mabusela denied the entire version of Kotelo’s evidence, saying on the day in question, he was in Morija at the home of one Letsema Pakela.
In his submission Advocate Thetsane KC said there is concrete evidence by Kotelo that Mabusela was the gunman in the execution-style murder.
He said there was further adequate evidence linking both Ramohajane and Sephula to the murder.
The three men face two other murder charges of potential witnesses in Phohleli’s killing, two counts of illegal possession of a firearm, attempted murder and robbery charges.
Phohleli was allegedly gunned down on September 5 2010 in Ha Ramatsa, Maseru.
Mabusela, Ramohajane and Sephula were charged along with Mareka Nthejane for the murder.
But Nthejane was last year acquitted after the prosecution failed to prove its case against him.
The accused men are also charged with robbing Phohleli of a vehicle, mobile phones, travel documents as well as office keys.
They also faced two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm alleged to be the murder weapon.
The men were further accused of the murder of Thabang Malikoe and ’Malerato Maphathe on September 27, 2010.
Malikoe and Maphathe are believed to have been potential witnesses in the trial.
The accused further face attempted murder charge of Thabang Kotelo on October 17 that year in Ha Seoli.
All accused pleaded not guilty to all charges. Kotelo has since turned into an accomplice witness.