The Voice (Francistown)
Chevula Thabano
22 April 2008
Francistown — Twenty-three-year-old Gofamodimo Othusitse appeared before Masunga Magistrate Milidzani Moyo for the ruling on whether or not he would be granted bail while waiting for his appeal to be heard. Othusitse was convicted in September 2007 for indecent assault and attempted defilement. He was sentenced to three and a half years for the first count and four and a half years for the second count and both counts are running concurrently.
Othusitse is appealing and was hoping that he would be granted bail while waiting for his appeal hearing. However, the magistrate denied him bail. In 2004, Othusitse, who was then a temporary teacher at Sebina Primary school, indecently assaulted a 14-year-old girl by touching her private parts and breasts. He went on to try and sleep with the girl's 10-year-old sister but was not successful as he could not penetrate her.
Court records show a detailed account of the two girl's statements as they gave evidence in court. They both narrated how they were home alone after their mother, a teacher at Sebina Primary school, left them alone for a school trip. They both testified that Othusitse came the night their mother left to "keep them company." He announced his arrival by saying "BMW", which he explained to the older girl as meaning "Be my wife." When he got into the house, he asked the older girl where he was supposed to sleep and she said on the floor. He then said "I cannot sleep on the floor when I have my blankets and comfortable bed at home. I will sleep with your sister for some time and then come and sleep with you."
He proceeded to get into the younger girl's blankets and indeed after some time got into the older girl's blankets where he touched her breasts and her private parts. The next night he went to pick the girls up from their place to his place where the trio shared his bed. It was then that he tried to have sexual intercourse with the 10-year-old girl while the older one slept, but could not penetrate her. When the mother came back, she heard rumours that Othusitse had been seen with her daughters and upon questioning, the girls shared their ordeal.
Othusitse, however, did not deny having shared the blankets with the girls on both the mentioned occasions; but he denied having touched them. He even admitted to announcing his arrival by saying "BMW" and said he was just saying that not referring to anything in particular but just playing with the girls.
He further told the court that the girls' mother forced them into claiming that he touched them just because she had a score to settle with him. But both girls denied having been forced to say anything and stuck to their statements, which, therefore, led to the incarceration of their "supposed teacher."
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