‘GANG VICE SURMOUNTABLE’
• Gang rivalry leads to death, imprisonment • Gangsterism not insurmountable – Experts
FRANCISTOWN: Rivalry between two gangs terrorising villagers at Lerala ended in the fatal stabbing of one member and imprisonment sentences for others in a court case that reflected the tragic fate and consequence of gangsterism.
Justice Phadi Solomon of the Francistown High Court recently sentenced Abel Thapelo and Olebile Molosiwa to 10-year jail terms each for the April 22, 2016 murder of Mooketsi Molefe at Pakame lands near Lerala.
Thapelo found himself on the wrong side of the law for stabbing Molefe with a knife on the chest while his partner in crime, Molosiwa, hit Molefe with a brick when the deceased was still dancing at a party.
Justice Solomon concluded that the accused acted in concert and with a common purpose when they committed the offence on that fateful day.
When condemning the duo to jail, Justice Solomon however said extenuating circumstances existed in the matter, a position which enjoined her to pass a custodial sentence other than the death sentence.
She said both accused persons were first offenders and were barely out of their teens when they committed the offence.
“The accused had also consumed alcohol when they committed the offence,” Solomon said.
In mitigation, Thapelo’s attorney Kgololesego Segabo prayed with the court to take into account that he was 21-years-old when he committed the offence.
“I urge the court to appreciate that the accused’s level of judgement was probably impaired by youthful exuberance when he committed the offence because he had imbibed alcohol. The accused has three minor children that he is taking care of and is the sole breadwinner for his family. It is very unfortunate that the fight of two rival gangs in the village led to this death. The deceased was aggressive towards the accused. The deceased went to the accused person’s place to look for the accused but when he did not find him, he ended up beating one Koketso who he found at home... This has affected the accused’s judgement,” Segabo said.
Segabo then prayed with the court to pass a sentence that will rehabilitate and not break the accused. Molosiwa’s attorney, Tshedukani Elijah prayed with the court to tamper justice with mercy because the accused was only 22 years when he committed the offence.
“When the offence occurred, the village of Lerala was consumed by rival gangs that were fighting turf wars. The accused’s mind was compromised because he had been drinking alcohol when he committed the offence. The accused is a father of one child aged five and is also taking care of his parents. This offence was committed in 2016 and has had a debilitating psychological impact on the accused,” said Elijah.
While Thapelo and Molosiwa face jail terms for their involvement in another’s death, gangsterism has been prevalent in Botswana for a long time.
Maspotis, a gang that used to terrorise people in the southern part of Botswana during the 1990s, will spring into some people’s minds whenever there is mention of gangs.
Of recent, another gang Matsetsenkane, also gave Thamaga residents sleepless nights. However, most of Matsetsenkane members have since been rehabilitated following interventions from Thamaga village’s leadership and the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development (MYSC) amongst other stakeholders.
But what causes gangsterism and how can it be prevented?
A social work lecturer at the University of Botswana (UB), Dr Kgomotso Jongman, said a number of issues cause gangsterism.
Some specific risk factors, Jongman explained, influence people to become involved in gangs. Risk factors can be defined as life events or experiences that are associated with an increase in problem behaviours such as drug use or gang activities. Some people join gangs because the gangs act as their surrogate families, provide them with a sense of belonging, power, control, and prestige, Jongman said.The UB don added that being the child of a single parent who is often absent from the home and one (child) that lacks adequate support can also be considered as a risk factor.
On the positive side, Jongman said gangsterism is a societal problem that is not insurmountable.
“Gangsterism can be mitigated. Each generation has its own types of gangs. What is important is to have strong structures, especially the family. If we have strong structures, we would be able to mitigate and prevent children from loitering and ending up being influenced into joining gangs. Creating more jobs for the youth so that they are taken away from the streets and having something productive to do can also go a long way in preventing this vice,” Jongman advised.
Elsewhere on the globe is the National Crime Prevention Centre (NCPC) of the Public Safety in Canada, which echoes similar views as Jongman. The NCPC is an association committed to developing and disseminating practical knowledge to address the problem of Canadian youth gangs.
According to the NCPC, in addition to preventing youth from joining gangs, it is important to reduce membership duration for youth who belong to a gang and to provide appropriate services (drug treatment, employment and educational opportunities) once they leave the gangs.
“Strengthening protective factors plays an important role in reducing youth gang involvement. Protective factors are positive influences that mitigate the impact of risk factors and decrease the likelihood of problem behaviour. These protective factors include: building positive relationships and patterns of interaction with mentors and pro-social peers, creating positive social environments through community, family and service organisations and promoting social and economic policies that support positive youth development.”