Masitara family shocked as father killer is freed
Court grants young Masitara bail after killing his father
The Masitara family is horrified to learn that one of their own, Tuture Masitara (22), who is accused of killing his own father back in April 2020, will soon be set free.
The young Masitara allegedly gouged out his father’s eyes, chopped the back of his head with an axe four times and proceeded to dislocating both his waist and head.
He cut off his father’s legs and arms and buried him behind a small tree at their residence in Gabane.
The manner in which Tuture butchered his own father Joseph, a brother to former Member of Parliament Robert Masitara, has left the Masitara family shattered.
Now to learn that Tuture will be granted bail or worse is already out there, is terrifying to the family. They fear the alleged killer, believing he might go on to kill another person once out.
The family is disappointed in the system and wishes there were other means of handling the issue rather than releasing Tuture to the public.
The Masitara family are shocked that although they have blatantly refused bailing out Tutu, possibilities of him roaming the streets are high.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a concerned relative told The Midweek
Sun that they were recently told that the court has granted Tuture bail.
“We hear few of us were called in and asked to be sureties for his bail conditions but we refused. No one wants to tie themselves to that burden, we are still devastated by how he killed Joseph, how are we expected to welcome him home,” said the relative.
They also wonder who Tuture is being released to. Is he being carelessly dumped into an angry society that still recalls vividly how he brutally killed his father?
They even fear for his safety. Will the man be safe out there, how will he survive in a society that will constantly judge him? Worse still, he will have no support as the family fears the very mention of his name.
Joseph’s wife died in 2004. At the time of his demise, he had been single handedly raising the son he loved most, Tuture.
The family has not received answers as to why Joseph was killed in that manner, whether Tuture was under the influence of drugs or not and for the court to be releasing him so soon is disturbing.
Area Councillor Boniface Makati also agrees that the family is not emotionally ready to face Tuture.
“He is a reject, the family is terrified, and his friends were equally shocked by what he did, they will not want to come any closer to him. He will be isolated,” Makati said.
He added that Joseph was the one taking care of Tuture, he fed and clothed him. With him dead, Tuture will be returning to a harsh and cruel world that might see him turning to crime for survival.
When reached for comment Officer Commanding No. 13 District Senior Superintendent Agreement Mapeu said issues of bail were the prerogative of court.
He said police had opposed bail and after collecting all evidence, they handed it to the prosecuting office.
Mapeu added that when court decides to grant a suspect bail, their office is often notified. “We have not received communication that the Masitara man will be granted bail if what you are saying is true,” Mapeu said.
Meanwhile in a previous interview with the Stephen Tiroyakgosi of the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) said they are aware of public outrage over courts granting suspected rapists and murderers bail.
He explained that the decision to grant or deny bail lies with the court. The discretion must however be exercised judicially taking into account the interests of the state, society, victim, offender and justice as a whole.
At DPP they have a duty to oppose bail in all cases, which in their opinion should not be granted bail. But this does not mean that courts will solely rely on the view of DPP.
“It is also to be noted that in opposing bail, the gravity of the offence committed is one of the factors that must be taken into account by the court, but not the deciding one. “On the other hand, there is the presumption of innocence until proven guilty that must also be put into the scale of justice,” he said.
DPP also appreciated the concerns of the public and said there may be need to amend the law to ensure that suspects are not easily granted bail. However one must not lose sight of the fact that the laws passed must also pass the constitutional test.