Botswana jails 3 Zimbabweans for rape, robbery

THREE Zimbabwean men are in Botswana's remand prison to answer robbery and rape charges.

Desmond Khupe (19), Lucky Dube, (23) and Calvin Maphosa (43), who are all illegal migrants, were not asked to plead to the charges when they appeared before Francistown magistrate Game Mooketsi.

The trio also faces another charge of entering Botswana through illegal entry points.

But Mooketsi recused herself from the matter, saying she knew some of the complainants.

Mooketsi then remanded them to Tuesday so that the matter can be tried by another magistrate.

The court was told that the trio, together with five other persons, who are still at large, on March 28 raped two women at or near Chadibe, about 25km west of Francistown.

It is alleged that on the same day the three used violence to obtain from their victims P350, property worth P13 720 and clothes and mobile phones of different brands worth P11 100.

They allegedly used catapults, knives and machetes to threaten their victims.

In court, prosecutor Janet Mothowakgosi said an application for the pleas of the accused persons should be reserved as the investigating officer was not available, adding that investigations were still at an initial stage.

In his plea for freedom, Khupe asked for tests to be done on the rape victims, adding that he would like to see them as he did not recall anything.

Dube's defence was that on the day on which he is alleged to have committed the offence, he was in Zimbabwe and only arrived in Botswana on March 30.

Maphosa said he did not know the first accused, adding that he only arrived in Botswana last Wednesday with Dube.