Court Reporter
A security officer, ‘Muso Sekese, appeared before the Maseru Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday facing an attempted murder charge.
Sekese is accused of attempting to kill Lerotholi Polytechnic student Lebusa Posholi on 14 August 2013 near Mohokare River.
According to the charge sheet, Sekese was employed by Roars Lion Security when he “intentionally shot Lebusa Posholi in the chest with the intention to kill him”.
However, the 37-year-old—who is being represented by Advocate Tšabo Matooane and made his first court appearance on 2 October 2013—denies the charge.
A witness, Nkopane Sello, narrated events of that fateful day, telling Resident Magistrate Polo Banyane-Pitso: “We were making first-year students drink water from Mohokare River as part of a longstanding tradition of teaching the newcomers about the school’s rules and regulations, when two security guards came with another group of (Lerotholi Polytechnic or Fokothi) learners.
“They ordered us to take off our musk-hats and we complied. The guards then ordered us to take off our clothes, but we refused.
“The accused (Sekese) was holding a stick, and he repeated that we should take off our clothes. Again, we did not comply.”
Sello—who was expelled from the school after the incident and is now studying at Vaal University of Technology in South Africa—further said Sekese “then approached the other guard who had a firearm and said he should give him the gun because he did not seem keen to use it.
“They exchanged weapons, with the accused getting the firearm and giving his stick to the other guard.
“We tried to talk to him and Lebusa took a step forward and raised his hands as he begged for forgiveness, but the guard shot him in the chest.
“We tried to get Lebusa, but the accused told us to leave him and said his parents were going to collect his corpse.
“He then ordered us again to take off our clothes, and this time, we complied. We were then taken to Maseru Central Charge Office, where our clothes were brought to us later,” Sello said.
During cross-examination by defence counsel Advocate Matooane, Sello denied the students had any weapons, as Sekese had submitted before the court.
“The accused said you were armed with sticks and other weapons. You also had five litres of water which you were forcing the students to drink.
“Were you are aware you were torturing other students and that it was wrong in terms of the law? Am I right to say some of the students die from such torture and on that day, some vomited?” Advocate Matooane asked.
“I cannot disagree,” responded Sello.
Meanwhile, Magistrate Banyane postponed the case to 4 and 18 August 2015.
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