Murder accused seeks plea deal

ONE of the two men accused of the murder of three family members in North West last month intends entering into a plea agreement with the state.

Letlhogonolo Mokgofa, of Tlhabane West, appeared before Magistrate Naomi van Vuuren in the Bafokeng Magistrate ’ s Court yesterday.

Together with his co-accused Nicholas Ntsimane, they each face three counts of murder for the deaths of Elfa Segopa, her daughter Kealeboga and her eight-month-old granddaughter Kaboyaone.

The two were appearing for their bail application.

The charges stem from an incident on May 16 when the Segopa house in Bester, Tlhabane, near Rustenburg, was set alight, allegedly by Ntsimane and Mokgofa, resulting in the three deaths.

Yesterday, in a packed courtroom with many armed prison warders present, lawyer Ofentse Raikane for Mokgofa told Van Vuuren his client was considering entering into a plea deal with the state.

It has also emerged that Mokgofa, like Ntsimane, has a number of outstanding issues.

Prosecutor Babalwa Cele yesterday told Van Vuuren that on January 23 Mokgofa allegedly robbed a resident of Tlaseng village of her cellphone. In April, Mokgofa allegedly struck again in the same village, this time allegedly robbing a woman of her TV and vehicle. A gun was used in both crimes.

Ntsimane, who was a cousin of the dead Elfa Segopa, complained to the court the police were “taking their time ” in giving him his phone, and as a result he had not been able to get a lawyer. He applied for a state attorney.