Whose dog is it?

A soldier and a villager in dog fight

Molepolole Magistrate court will soon have to decide who is the rightful owner of a black and white speed hound, which two men have claimed as theirs.

The two men ended up in court after one of them, Tefo Moruleng, 30, accused a Botswana Defence Force Corporal One Motiki of dog theft.

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However, when he appeared in court last week Friday, the alleged dog thief, 32-year-old Thebephatshwa Airbase soldier also claimed the dog was his.

Giving evidence in court, Moruleng said that his Phatshwana (black and white) speed-hound valued at P3 500 was part of a pack of seven dogs that went on a leopard chase at the cattlepost and did not return.

He said at first he suspected Motiki found the lost dog and decided to keep it, but he realised the man had actually stolen it when he became adamant that it belonged to him and that he had witnesses to prove that it did.

The dog allegedly went missing on December 20th, 2018 and it was found in August 2019 with one Dilala who revealed that it belonged to Motiki.

Moruleng stated in court that he bought the dog from one Moabi Ontsheketse in Letlhakeng when it was still a three-months-old puppy.

Moruleng’s witness, 46-year-old Keamogetse Mafemelela testified that he had known the said dog since it was still a puppy and last saw it in 2018.

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“Later when it was fully grown I learnt that it was taken for a hunt where it went missing with other dogs. Many dogs from different cattle post did not return from that hunt,” explained Mafemelela who went on to reveal that a search for the lost dogs was launched and Moruleng’s other dog, black in colour was found at Motiki’s cattle post.

However, when Mafemelela was supposed to give a description of the dog, the prosecution objected because he had already seen the dog standing in the courtyard as an exhibit.

Magistrate Rosemary Khuto postponed the trial to July 23rd, 2021. On the same same date the magistrate would also be expected to deliver a ruling on whether it was wrong for the witness to be exposed to the exhibit (dog) before commencement of trial.

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