“𝐈 𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐋𝐎𝐓𝐒𝐎 𝐊𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐌𝐀 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐀 𝐒𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐎𝐌𝐀 𝐍𝐄𝐄𝐃𝐋𝐄” - 𝐀 𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐅𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐃 𝐈𝐍 𝐇𝐈𝐆𝐇 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐓 “I killed Tlotso Karema by pricking him on the neck with a sangoma needle called ‘Machonono’ in Shona. It is a needle that one has to pray over before using it. I then bathed with water mixed with Tlotso’s blood and poured it at a crossroads.” These are the chilling words that investigating officer Detective Kgosibotsile told the Gaborone High Court were uttered by murder accused Lovemore Sithole during a police pointing-out. Sithole is on trial before Justice Phuthego for the murder of six-year-old Tlotso Karema, who disappeared on March 18, 2022. At the time, Tlotso was a Standard One pupil. His skeletal remains were later discovered in a bushy area between Molapowabojang and Lobatse. When the charge was put to him, Sithole pleaded not guilty. The trial began with a “trial within a trial”, a separate hearing held to determine whether the alleged confession was made voluntarily and can be admitted as evidence. State counsel Ambrose Mubika told the court that the defence intends to challenge the admissibility of a confession statement allegedly made by Sithole before a judicial officer on July 6, 2022. The Defence says the accused person was coerced, assaulted and did not make the confession voluntarily. The State’s first witness, the investigating officer, testified that on April 13, 2022, Tlotso’s mother received a text message from an unknown number directing her to a location where her son’s body could be found. The officer said he obtained a court order to access call data from telecommunications companies in order to trace the origin of the message. According to the officer, one service provider identified the IMEI number of the handset used, while records from another provider showed that the SIM card used to send the message was registered in the name of Tlotso’s mother, Kesegofetse Karema. When interviewed, Tlotso’s mother told police that the phone belonged to Sithole. The accused later confirmed that the handset was his and said it was an Itel cellphone for which he had purchased a new SIM card. The investigating officer said the evidence, coupled with the fact that Sithole was allegedly the last person seen with Tlotso, led police to conclude that he was responsible for the child’s death. On April 14, 2022, police and Tlotso’s mother followed the directions in the text message to a remote area where clothing and human bones were recovered. DNA analysis using the mother’s blood sample confirmed that the remains were those of Tlotso. The court further heard that Sithole was arrested on July 5, 2022, and after being warned and cautioned, he voluntarily wrote a statement which police considered to be a confession. He was subsequently taken before a judicial officer to formally record the statement. The trial continues. #prisonmatters #UntoldStories #StoriesThatMatter