Tears in court as Ntsuape’s trial gets underway

The infamous murder and arson trial of Gobuamang Ntsuape commenced this week in Francistown, conjuring up gory images of the night the Kgosietsile family lost their mother in a fire started by the jilted boyfriend.

Ntsuape, a jailbird who is facing other multiple charges from separate offences, is being tried for one count of murder, four counts of attempted murder and one count of arson.

He is alleged to have committed the offences on the 13th of September 2016 at Block 9 location in Francistown at Dorcas Kgosietsile’s parents’ house following their breakup.

This Tuesday, after the court session Ntsuape did not show any remorse for his apparent actions as he mocked his ex-girlfriend, Dorcas, and laughed as he pointed at the scars she sustained from the arson incident.

During trial, Ntsuape sat in the dock jotting down something in his notebook whilst Dorcas, with a shaky voice and teary eyes, gave a testimony of the tragic night.

The 37-year-old Dorcas told court that they started dating in 2010 and had a baby boy in 2011.

According to her evidence, ever since they started dating their relationship has been rocky as they were always at the police station and attending counseling sessions due to Ntsuape’s abusive tendencies.

She brought the court to tears when she explained the accused man’s actions on September 13, 2016 that led to her mother’s untimely demise.

“It was in the night and we were sleeping. It was myself, my father- Chief Mosarwa Kgosietsile, my mother- Sadi Kgosietsile, my children Segolame and Maatla and my younger brother Tiro Kgosietsile.

“I was sleeping in the study room next to my room outside the main house when Ntsuape called the landline in my room. After some few minutes around 2357hours he called my cellphone ordering me to come outside and told me that it was too late for me to call the police,” revealed the visibly distressed Dorcas.

She said she immediately phoned her mother telling her that Gobuamang was on his way to the house. “Before long Ntsuape kicked the study room door. A few minutes later I heard my father screaming calling me saying ‘Dorcas we are burning with the kids where are you?’
I opened the door and saw the two cars (mine and my father’s car) burning and I rushed to rescue the children as my mother was already at the gate.

“My father got outside the burning house and myself and the kids were left in the house chocking from the smoke until the neighbours came, destroyed the burglar doors so we could escape,” she added.

Dorcas said they were rushed to Nyangabwe hospital and that her mother passed on on the 20th of September. “Before she died she told me that Ntsuape poured her with petrol. We went to bury our mother and our father was left hospitalised,” she said amid sobs as memories of the tragic night further sunk in.

The other witness who testified in court was Dorcas’s father, Chief Mosarwa Kgosietsile. “When the vehicles started burning, the place was well illuminated. I was met by the accused person in the sitting room who then poured me with petrol and he was set for everything as the matchbox and stick where on one hand. My wife was outside screaming for help and when I got outside burning, she had already called people and we were rushed to the hospital,” he said.

The trial was scheduled for the whole week.