Botswana: man sentenced to death for killing Korean national 10 years ago

A man charged with killing a Korean national in Botswana was given the death sentence 10 years after the crime.

The Francistown High Court in Botswana on September 2, 2026 sentenced 35-year-old Kitso Makati to death on charges including the killing of a Korean national in October 2016, local media outlets, including The Voice, reported on September 7.

He was also charged with breaking into the victim’s accommodation, where he fatally shot them and injured their colleague, another Korean national.

The two were working on an assignment in Palapye, about 270 kilometers (167.8 miles) northeast of Botswana’s capital, Gaborone.

Makati’s other charges include stealing items — such as the Korean nationals’ laptop, mobile phones and cash — and the illegal possession of a firearm.

Botswana authorities indicted two others alongside Makati. However, they were acquitted in April after the court found insufficient evidence linking them to the killing and robbery.

Makati, who has become the 23rd prisoner on Botswana’s death row, is also under investigation in connection with another robbery-murder that occurred in the capital, Gaborone. 

Police arrested Makati a week after the crime, but administrative holdups, including procedures related to securing the attendance of witnesses, delayed the trial, local prosecutors said.

(Sources: Korea joongang daily, 08/09/2026; kbs.co, 08/09/2026)