The Voice (Francistown)
Chenjalani Baraedi
20 May 2008
Francistown — A Zimbabwean national on trial for fatally stabbing a friend during a scuffle that followed a heavy drinking spree, was last week denied bail by a Francistown Magistrate's Court.
Gibson Shumba Saatane, a Shabeen attendant in the Monarch Area of Francistown, is accused of stabbing his fellow countryman to death after he refused to settle a beer debt. The accused, who claimed to have been heavily drunk at the time, was arrested the following day.
When Saatane appeared in court, he was read the charges of murder but his plea was reserved awaiting police investigations that are still ongoing. Although the suspect is in possession of proper travelling documents, the prosecution applied that he be remanded in custody since he did not have any permanent place of abode in Botswana. Thebeetsile Mulalu from the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) noted that police investigations were still ongoing, adding that granting Saatane bail was risky since he might abscond from justice to his native country.
In denying bail, Magistrate Thato Mujaji pointed out that the court did not have jurisdiction to grant bail in murder cases. She advised the accused to try his luck with the High Court before adjourning the case until 14 May.
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