POLOKWANE – The family of the late Dimpho Monareng (15) is filled with renewed hope for closure as her culpable homicide case was transferred from a lower court to the Polokwane Regional Court on Friday.
Dimpho, a Gr 9 learner at Bokamoso Secondary School, was tragically killed in December 2023 when a bakkie, driven by the 20-year-old Katlego Mosoma, struck her along the Beach Front in Zone 4, Seshego.
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Following threats to withdraw the case due to previous delays in assembling evidence, including crucial scene sketches, the district court in Seshego determined that the complexity of the case exceeded its capacity, warranting the transfer to the regional court.
Mosoma is now scheduled to appear before a new magistrate on October 23, having been granted R500 bail.
Dimpho’s mother, Lerato, expressed her concerns to BONUS, stating that the multiple court delays had instilled fear in the family regarding the possibility of justice being served.
“We are now hopeful that the matter will reach trial and that justice for her sake will be fulfilled,” she said. Despite promises for an earlier transfer, it took two court sittings before a date was finally set, pending the decisions of the presiding magistrate.
In June, BONUS reported that the case faced potential withdrawal if the Local Criminal Record Centre (LCRC) failed to release essential evidence by August. This was proposed by Mosoma’s legal counsel, who argued that the delays represented a waste of state resources.
To expedite the process of assembling the docket information, Monareng’s legal representative, Forah Maloka, wrote to the provincial police commissioner, Lt Gen Thembi Hadebe, stressing the importance of sketches and witness statements to ensure the case was ready for trial.
