MASERU-Three firearms that vanished from court custody in a high‑profile murder case have been recovered and formally presented to the High Court, but not before a stern rebuke from a judge who has warned that mishandled weapons are fueling violent crime in the country.
The weapons had mysteriously disappeared after they were handed over to police as exhibits in the murder trial of Ralikonelo ‘Leqhashasha’ Joki, Mothibe Mothibe and Thomello Ntsane. A ruling by Justice Tšeliso Mokoko compelled the Commissioner of Police and investigating officers to explain how the firearms went missing. This week, following efforts to trace them, the recovered guns were brought into court as ordered.
During proceedings, Justice Mokoko recounted that the court had earlier directed the firearms to be presented before the hearing. But when the case was called, the weapons could not be produced, and officers present began blaming one another for their disappearance. The situation alarmed the judge, who noted that firearms released into police custody have at times later been linked to new crimes.
Commissioner of Police Advocate Borotho Matsoso acknowledged the mishap. He told the court the firearms had been misplaced due to negligence, termed the lapse careless, and promised that measures were taken to recover them. Matsoso said the police had learned a lesson from the incident. Still, he conceded that there had been past misconduct in which officers unlawfully disposed of firearms instead of destroying them, a practice that runs counter to official policy.
The court stressed that all firearms exhibits are to be destroyed as ordered, emphasizing that the continued circulation of illegal weapons poses a grave threat to public safety. In a new directive, Justice Mokoko ordered that the Commissioner must inform the court in advance of the date on which firearms exhibits will be destroyed. The judge also indicated an intention to personally observe the destruction to ensure compliance.
The episode comes against a backdrop of public concern over missing or mishandled weapons. Earlier reporting on the same matter detailed tense courtroom exchanges after the guns vanished, with Justice Mokoko expressing suspicion that the police could be involved in trafficking or careless handling of such evidence. A December report described a confrontation in which officers could not agree on who had custody of the firearms, and the judge’s accusations that the missing weapons might already be in criminal hands.
With the directive issued, all eyes now turn to the next stages, the scheduling of destruction, the court’s observation of that process, and the ongoing efforts to ensure that any firearms used as exhibits have no chance of re‑entering illegal circulation. The recovered firearms are a reminder of what can go wrong, but the court’s response may become a blueprint for preventing such incidents in the future.
