Court acquits last suspect in deadly Sefalana robbery

The Village Magistrate’s Court this week acquitted Kabo Moremong, the sole remaining suspect in the high-profile 2022 robbery at Sefalana Cash and Carry, involving P649,863.75 in stolen cash. The verdict marks a dramatic and unexpected end to a legal saga born from one of the most violent and tragic cash-in-transit heists in recent memory. Presiding over the case, the magistrate ruled that the State had failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Moremong had any connection to the robbery or that he acted in concert with the four armed men involved.

While the court found that the four men had planned to rob the cash-in-transit vehicle, the prosecution could not establish that Moremong shared their intent or played a role in the planning or execution of the crime. The prosecution sought to hold Moremong criminally responsible for the multi-casualty armed robbery that turned the Gaborone West Industrial area into a war zone on November 25, 2022. Yet, the court found the evidence presented legally insufficient to secure a conviction.

In assessing the State’s case, the magistrate underscored core principles of criminal law, explicitly stating that “suspicion does not constitute guilt.” The court acknowledged the intense scrutiny surrounding Moremong’s situation but emphasized that the law demands certainty, not circumstantial assumptions. A key point in the ruling concerned Moremong’s presence at the crime scene. Addressing the prosecution’s argument that his proximity to the heavily armed gang implied complicity, the court firmly dismissed the idea of implied guilt.

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“Mere presence at the scene of a crime is not sufficient proof that he was linked to the robbery,” the magistrate declared. The court noted the prosecution failed to produce concrete forensic evidence, eyewitness identification, or any communication proving Moremong’s involvement in planning or carrying out the heist. The trial attracted significant public attention given the brutality of the initial attack.

Nearly four years ago, an armed gang ambushed a G4S security vehicle outside the Sefalana wholesale outlet just after 5 p.m. The swift response by the Botswana Police Service led to a fierce shootout in a busy commercial area. The crossfire left five dead, including four of the robbers killed by law enforcement.

Tragically, one innocent bystander, an employee of the Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency who had simply been shopping, was caught in the gunfire. Moremong maintained his innocence throughout the trial. He testified that he was unaware of the robbery plot and had only accompanied his close friend, the late Leatile Modise, to the industrial site to help with an errand, unaware that Modise and his associates were armed and planning a multi-million Pula heist.

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