Kabelo Masoabi
THE High Court has heard dramatic testimony detailing how an altercation between two fugitive murder suspects in South Africa inadvertently revealed crucial details of an unsolved 2020 murder in Lesotho.
The case revolves around the 2020 killing of Moorosi Mohloai at Sebothoane, Leribe, which is allegedly connected to a love triangle involving Mohloai, Ntisa Ramosebetsi who is the accused, and ’Mathabo Senatsi, a former co-accused turned state witness.
Both Senatsi and Ramosebetsi are accused of participating in Mohloai’s murder.
According to Senatsi’s testimony detailing the events of the night of the murder, Ramosebetsi and Senatsi were at a residence where Senatsi was employed when Mohloai arrived unannounced.
Commotion ensued after Senatsi reprimanded Mohloai for visiting uninvited. Ramosebetsi then allegedly strangled him using a sofa cloth. Thereafter, the two wrapped the body in a floor mat and hired a 4+1 vehicle to dispose it at the Hlotse River near Ha Leshoele.
Since her arrest, Senatsi has maintained that Ramosebetsi killed Mohloai out of jealousy as she dated both men.
But Ramosebetsi insists that he witnessed Senatsi strangling Mohloai after a dispute between the two.
All three individuals were reportedly inside the same house on the night of the incident.
During cross-examination at the Ts’ifa-Li-Mali court in Leribe, Ramosebetsi gave a detailed account of what transpired after the killing.
He told the court that Senatsi voluntarily left Lesotho with him as he had decided to travel to SA for work.
“A couple of days after the incident, Senatsi called asking to meet me.
“When she arrived, she said she feared being arrested for killing Mr Mohloai and decided to leave with me.”
He said they both travelled by taxi to Gauteng, where they rented a room in Alexandra township and lived together for about a week before a misunderstanding led them to part ways.
Ramosebetsi said because he worked temporary jobs in different locations, he was not always at home.
One day, he returned to find himself locked out, with his clothes removed from the shared room. Angered, he said he confronted Senatsi publicly, assaulting and humiliating her in front of community members.
“I shouted that she had killed someone in Lesotho and was now relying on me,” he told the court.
Senatsi then reported him to the Alexandra police for assault.
At the station, Ramosebetsi said he informed police officers that Senatsi had committed murder in Lesotho and was a fugitive. Police did not arrest either of them but instructed both parties to return the next day.
“When I reported myself the following day, ‘Mathabo (Senatsi) had disappeared,” he told the court.
He said he later learned that she had fled to Bloemfontein.
Days afterward, Senatsi allegedly called him to say she was returning to Lesotho to surrender to authorities.
The accused said he then received a call from his father, informing him that he was wanted in connection with a murder case.
He immediately returned to Lesotho and reported to Hlotse Police Station, where he discovered that Senatsi had implicated him as the killer of Mohloai.
He was arrested shortly thereafter.
In court, Ramosebetsi denied ever having an intimate relationship with Senatsi, contradicting her testimony that she was romantically involved with both men at the time of the murder.
He said Senatsi was merely a close friend of his wife and often acted as a family adviser.
When the prosecution questioned why he helped Senatsi leave the country if he believed she was responsible for the killing, he responded:
“I did not help her flee. I only accommodated her because she was desperate, and she had always been good to my family. I was under pressure.”
Advocate Thamae, appearing for the crown, challenged Ramosebetsi: “Are you aware that concealing a crime is itself an offence?”
Ramosebetsi answered in the affirmative.
“The crown contends that you acted alone in committing this crime and that you are being untruthful before the court. Evidence has been presented showing that you killed the deceased and later threatened to do the same to ’Mathabo (Senatsi) if she refused to flee with you.
“The crown submits that everything you have stated here is simply an afterthought. You are lying to this court,” the crown asserted.
Ramosebetsi replied: “That is not true. I have testified to the best of my knowledge.”
The case continues on Tuesday before Acting Justice Motebele.