‘FAKE’ COUPLE AWAITS JUDGMENT
Accused scammers await judgment in marriage wrecking rouse
Two lovers who allegedly pretended to be husband and wife in order to trick another woman into thinking she was wrecking their ‘marriage’, will learn their fate before Village Magistrates’ Court this Thursday.
Lebang Maikano, 33, and his sugar mommy girlfriend, 47-year-old Botho Nono Malela - who is in fact married to another man - are charged with obtaining by false pretences and uttering a false document (fake marriage certificate).
The couple reportedly blackmailed Ogomoditse Bella Sehularo, 39, out of over P60,000 in property and cash, allegedly threatening to leak her nude pictures to the media as part of
their marriage wrecking scam.
Back in June 2016, the pair supposedly set up a honey trap, which climaxed with Malela ‘rumbling’ the other two in bed together at Maikano’s home in Molepolole.
This was apparently the second time Maikano had arranged for ‘his wife’ to catch him ‘pants down’ in the bedroom with Sehularo.
After the first incident, he reportedly convinced Sehularo to compensate Malela.
Terrified she was about to be exposed for ruining another woman’s marriage, Sehularo readily agreed, allegedly giving up her Samsung laptop worth P5,000.
Court heard that Malela later went to her ‘love rival’s’ house, where she confiscated goods worth P32,700, including: a juice pressure jar, braai cooker, gas cylinder and four leather jackets.
Despite this, it seems Sehularo was unable to keep away from Maikano for long.
After being caught under the sheets again, it is alleged Malela then took pics of Sehularo, claiming The Voice had agreed to pay her P80,000 for the story. (NB The Voice does not and never will pay for stories)
Desperate to keep her name and modesty out of the tabloids, it is said Sehularo paid Malelo P20,000 in two P10,000 installments.
Court heard that the suspected scammers continued to put pressure on her for more money, with Sehularo resorting to borrowing a further P5,000 from her mum to pay-off the alleged fraudsters.
However, with the couple allegedly asking for yet more cash, Sehularo finally went to the police. The lovebirds were arrested soon after.
Testifying before court for the first time, while he admitted to being in a relationship with both women, Maikano pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.
The Kanye native claimed he met Sehularo in December 2015 and started a relationship with her about three months later.
“She told me her boyfriend was in prison. I also told her my girlfriend (Malela) stayed in Francistown. Whenever Malela visited me, she notified me well in time and Sehularo would depart
when she arrived,” stated Maikano, who dismissed Sehularo’s allegations as the actions of a scorned woman.
Although he admitted Malela once caught him in bed with Sehularo, he insisted it was not planned.
“I told the police that I was not married. I was in a relationship with Sehularo, which ended the previous night of arrest and am only in a relationship with Malela,” maintained Maikano.
“I sometimes gave Sehularo some money for transport, she would also give me money when I needed something. E ne e le go becha, it was just a gift. I didn’t give the police any marriage certificate. I only saw a certain paper which one Olerile showed to my landlord saying they took it from my house. I don’t know where they got it,” continued the accused.
PROTESTING
For her part, protesting her innocence, Malela testified that as a married woman she visited Maikano on weekends. She said that after catching him in bed with Sehularo, she kept quiet for fear that her husband would find out about her own affair.
“I told the police that I was married but they did not ask the names for my husband. I don’t know anything about the taken properties and the marriage certificate. I am not Botho Nono Botshelo as indicated on the certificate,”’ refuted Malela, who is originally from Tonota.
“I love Maikano. He knows my marriage problems. I survived through him; he is much better than where I am. I didn’t see a future in my marriage,” she said, adding Sehularo knew she was married and only implicated her because they were competing for a boyfriend.
Both suspects have been out on bail since the complex case began on April 2018. It is rumoured they are now living together, with Malela having separated from her husband.
If found guilty, the pair face a possible maximum sentence of seven years in prison for obtaining by false pretences. The other count, uttering a false document, carries a potential three-year jail term. Judgment is set for December 17th.