BOTSWANA: TSOBANE’S DEATH SENTENCE APPEAL DISMISSED

the fate of death row inmate Kedisaletse Tsobane now lies with Botswanan President Ian Khama, after the Court of Appeal dismissed his case. Tsobane was sentenced to death by the Francistown High Court after he was convicted of killing his 10 year old daughter in 2004 to avoid paying for her maintenance. He pleaded guilty to a charge of murder. The Court of Appeal sitting in Lobatse upheld the death sentence imposed by the High Court. In dismissing the appeal, the court found that there were no extenuating circumstances in Tsobane's case. Tsobane can now only apply to the President for mercy. This will be the first application for clemency by a death row inmate to Khama since he took power in April. Tsobane was the last person seen with the deceased who was on her way to school on the morning of January 20, 2004. Police found the deceased kneeling on her knees with a cable around her neck tied to a tree. In his confession statement, Tsobane stated: "I killed the child in an attempt to avoid liability in order to do away with my indebtedness. I was trying to do away with maintenance arrears. I killed the child by strangling it with a rope."