Wife of NSS agent wants husband locked up

MASERU – A wife of a National Security Service (NSS) agent, Itumeleng Qhobosheane, says she wants her husband locked up.
The husband, Rethabile Tsietsi, allegedly gunned down his stepson, Bokang Qhobosheane, last month during a family feud.

Qhobosheane told thepost yesterday that she is angry with the police and the prosecution after they failed to oppose his bail application despite her pleas to do so.

“If only I could have my own prosecutor who would listen to me,” Qhobosheane said.

Tsietsi was granted bail by the High Court last week and Qhobosheane says she is afraid that he might harm her too.
Qhobosheane said she is living in fear after Tsietse was granted bail and she “would be grateful to have another lawyer prosecute this case”.

She said all she wants is to see her husband back in police custody as she does not understand how and why he was granted bail even after she made affidavits opposing the bail.
What irks her most is that there was no effort by the prosecution to oppose the bail.

She said the Thamae police approached her and asked her if she would have any problem with Tsietsi being granted bail and she told them her fears.

“I told the police in writing and verbally that I oppose his bail,” she said.

“I was surprised last week when I heard that he was granted bail and the DPP said nobody from the family had opposed the bail.”

“When I asked the Thamae police, they told me they were also not made aware that he was to appear in court applying for bail.”

She also said ever since Tsietsi was granted bail, she had not received any word from the office of the DPP as to what transpired.
She however explained she was advised to go to the office of the DPP to ask her why they did not seek her opinion before granting the bail.

She said she wanted to challenge the decision of the court to grant Tsietsi bail “but I don’t not have money to pay a lawyer”.

“If I could be given a lawyer of my choice who would be paid by the state to prosecute the case, I would be very delighted.”

The office of the DPP could not be reached for comment yesterday.
However, a local lawyer Advocate Napo Mafaesa told thepost that issues of granting or denying bail should be approached with care because “a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty by a competent court”.

Advocate Mafaesa warned that people should not be denied their freedom merely because victims of crime are emotional about whether they should be granted bail or not.
He said it is common cause that victims of crime will have strong feelings about the release of the offender and “it would be wrong to base denial of bail on emotions”.

’Malimpho Majoro