30 Mar 2025

Francistown Principal Magistrate, Mr Tshepo Magetsi will today deliver a ruling on whether a complainant in a protracted case of assault involving a Briton, David Holland, accused of assaulting his former wife, should be permitted to give evidence via video conferencing. 

Holland faces four counts, including assault on his former wife, Ms Althea Holland, who has sought asylum in Britain.

 Ms Holland’s asylum status prevents her from returning to Botswana. 

The state prosecutor, Mr Gasemotho Pitlagano, requested permission for video conferencing, arguing it was necessary due to Ms Holland’s asylum restrictions. 

However, defence lawyer Mr Nkululeko Fuzwayo opposed the application, claiming it was not properly presented and that the state failed to properly authenticate a document purportedly written by the victim. 

Magistrate Magetsi dismissed the application for the unauthenticated document, but advised the state to appeal this decision before the trial on another count.

 Another case involving the intimidation of Ms Mona-lisa Mangure, whose non-governmental organisation is interested in GBV cases, begins on Monday. 

The state alleges that Ms Mungure was handling Ms Holland abuse case at the time of intimidation by the accused.

 Both the state and defence confirmed their preparedness for the trial. 

The trial is set to resume today. 

Magistrate Magetsi hopes to resolve the video conferencing issue before proceedings begin. ENDS