Grave fear

Sharon Mathala
SUSPECT: Kutlo Mothusi

*Woman in hiding after boyfriend allegedly makes her dig own grave

*Runaway suspect granted bail despite fleeing custody

A young woman (name known to this publication) has been in hiding for over two weeks after reportedly surviving a terrifying ordeal at the hands of her boyfriend.

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Left nursing a severely bruised neck, her family say it is the unseen psychological scars that concern them the most.

“She is traumatised and fears for her life,” they explained, requesting The Voice keep her identity out of the paper for now.

It is alleged that on 1 March, following a heated disagreement, Kutlo Mothusi dragged her out of their Lobatse home, where he ‘brutalized’ and choked her.

He is then said to have forced her to dig her own ‘grave’ before assaulting her with the very same shovel.

The violence reportedly only came to an end when Kutlo’s uncle intervened.

Kutlo was later arrested but escaped police custody on 5 March, moments before he was due to be arraigned before Lobatse Magistrates Court.

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He seemingly slipped away from the courthouse when the escorting officer left him unattended to answer a phone call.

Hours later, Facebook profile ‘Thuska Thuska’ – believed to belong to Kutlo – uploaded a picture of a Castle Lite complete with the caption, ‘1st beer of the day I hope it aint my last’.

After just over a week on the loose, Kutlo was re-arrested on Sunday in connection with a separate incident, finally making his long overdue appearance before court this Wednesday.

Charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm, the suspect was represented by his father, veteran lawyer Lydon Mothusi, who successfully secured his son’s bail.

Explaining why he fled from custody, Kutlo told court he ran away because he was in ‘shock’ and has ‘psychiatric issues.’

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Unimpressed with the prosecution’s apparent half-hearted attempts to secure the accused’s remand, Lobatse Magistrate Gofaone Morwaeng saw fit to set Kutlo free.

“The defence submitted that the accused escaped from the court as he was in a state of shock, that he suffered from some psychiatric disorder and to that effect, the defence tendered a certificate of fitness dated 16 November 2017.

“On sighting the particular document it is clear that it is a certificate of fitness normally issued by the health institutions and it merely indicated that the accused was admitted at Sbrana Psychiatric Hospital and discharged on the mentioned date,” ruled the Magistrate.

Morwaeng further noted the state did not seem overly bothered that the accused had escaped from lawful custody.

“Though the accused had absconded from the court on 5th March 2021 the prosecution by its conduct did not appear to have suffered any prejudice.”

Meanwhile, in a brief interview, the complainant’s family described the couple’s relationship as toxic and abusive.

“We reported Kutlo to the police on many occasions but no action was taken,” claimed a close family member.

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Reluctant to go into too much detail for fear of jeapordizing the case, the source added, “She told us that during the latest argument he beat her up and dragged her outside the house.

“It was late at night and at one point whilst beating her up he gave her a shovel and instructed her to dig her grave. She said she obliged and did as he asked. Whilst she was digging the grave he got impatient and took the shovel and hit her with it. He continued to strangle and assault her until his uncle intervened.”

Kutlo is due back in court on 31 March.

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