Convicted Zimbabwean panelbeater, Hamadi Mkhuha has been sentenced to 40 years in jail for a murder that he arranged in 2015. Mkhuha was also sentenced to an additional 12 month for being in Botswana illegally. The other Zimbabwean that pulled the trigger, Zvichanaka Gore Dabie was killed by police in South Africa in 2023.
Gaborone High Court Judge Michael Leburu sentenced murder convicts, Ernest Legwale and Hamadi Mkhuha, who is his neighbour, to 40 years in prison for the murder of Thato Meswele.
Thato was killed in a case of mistaken identity after the Zimbabwean hitment mistook her for her sister, Legwale’s now ex wife Dimpho Meswele.
Circumstances surrounding the murder are that during the early hours of September 10, 2015, Thato went outside the house to collect a kettle. After a short time, a witness, Kgosi Meswele heard Thato screaming for help saying people were killing her. Kgosi rushed outside the house and found Thato lying on the ground bleeding from the head. He saw a tall man jumping into a Toyota Corolla which then left the scene.
The state star witness, a traditional doctor, Wellington Mhatiwa testified that sometimes in 2015, Legwale came to his place in Mochudi for consultation in the company of Mkhuha; accusing Dimpho and her mother, Sediko Meswele of bewitching him, therefore seeking traditional medicine to kill them.
The traditional healer said he received a call from Legwale a few days later informing him that Mkhuha had managed to arrange with someone from South Africa kill his wife and mother in law.
Another state witness, Moses Morwaagole said in September 2015, he drove to Morwa with Legwale where they met Mkhuha. They went to Mogoditshane to pick up the second hitman, the late Gody (Zvichanaka Gore Dabie) on their way to Lobatse to return Edwin Molosi’s white Toyota Corolla.
The judge said he considered that although Legwale was an educated internal auditor, he had strong beliefs in witchcraft. In mitigation, Legwale said he had five children to take care of, and his 79 year old mother.
Mkhuha was given a BMW by Legwale as payment for the murder.
