A 41-year-old Zimbabwean man living in Botswana, has been arraigned in court after his 14-year-old son accidentally shot and killed his 6-year-old sister.
Sibangalizwe Ncube is being charged with negligence over the incident which occurred at Mogobewabasadi cattle post, Tonota Village.
Ncube had allegedly borrowed the firearm to scare away predators from his farm but while he was away, his two children started playing with the firearm which was allegedly not secured properly. This resulted in the tragic accident which saw the 6-year-old being shot dead.
After the girl was certified dead in a hospital, the police arrested Ncube and charged him with negligence of the firearm which led to the death of the child.
The death further opened other can of worms as he was also charged with ill-treatment of his children, following allegations of neglecting his two children Melusi Ncube and Alex Ncube by staying with them at the cattle post and denying them right to education.
Ncube denied all charges and only pleaded guilty to travelling without documents. Appearing at the Francistown Magistrate Court, the 41-year-old said he was anguished by his daughter’s death.
He said “I even named her after my mother. Concerning the charge of entering Botswana without the travelling documents, I was forced by the situation back home. I was born in a time of war and after seeing people who were coming to Botswana I tagged along.”
He begged to be released on bail because he is the breadwinner of his family, but the Judge who wasn’t convinced denied him bail and remanded him in custody till October 16.
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