MBABANE – Botswana has filed an application seeking the provisional arrest of two nationals detained in Eswatini over an alleged P1 277 989.80 (about E1.57million) cellphone theft in their home country.
Boipuso Jabulani Keoagile and Joseph Tshimologo are currently detained in Eswatini after they were found in possession of explosives and later linked to an automated teller machine (ATM ) bombing in northern Hhohho, where a sum of E100 000 was stolen.
The application by Botswana’s director of public prosecutions (DPP) seeks the provisional arrest of Keoagile and Tshimologo, pending the filing of the main extradition application.
According to the affidavit, the two are wanted in Botswana to face one count of store breaking and theft. The charges arise from a break-in at HomeCorp, a Botswana-registered company which deals in the sale of furniture, electronics and cellphones.
The affidavit states that on April 12, 2026, employees of HomeCorp closed the store at about 1:45pm. They included the sales manager, assistant manager and security officer.
According to the affidavit, at about 4:30pm, the assistant manager allegedly received a call from the branch manager informing her that the security company suspected there had been a possible break-in. She allegedly believed the alarm could have been triggered when the sales manager returned to the shop to collect his jacket and therefore dismissed the alert as a false alarm. The affidavit states that the sales manager had indeed returned to the shop after it had been closed, disarmed the alarm to collect his uniform and then re-armed it before leaving. However, the following morning, April 13, employees allegedly discovered that the store had been broken into. The assistant branch manager reportedly arrived at about 8:20am and found that other employees had already opened the store. During routine checks, a worker discovered that padlocks to the kitchen upstairs had been broken.
The affidavit states that employees then found that the store’s switchboard had been tampered with and that the alarm panel had been destroyed, with cables hanging from it.
They allegedly proceeded to the high-risk storeroom where valuable goods were kept and found the padlocks broken and the cellphone cage door wide open. The cellphones and accessories were allegedly missing.
The affidavit further states that downstairs, a padlock had been unlocked and the security door had been unscrewed and left slightly open. The branch manager, security company and police were subsequently contacted. The security officer’s statement, contained in the affidavit, alleges that all entry points had been locked when the store closed on April 12. He allegedly retained the keys to the main entrance, while other keys were held by the store manager and sales manager. When the store was opened on April 13, the security officer allegedly found that the premises were dark and that the alarm had been switched off.
The electricity switchboard was allegedly found switched off.
Upon proceeding upstairs, he allegedly discovered that the padlocks to the cellphone storeroom had been damaged and that the phones had been stolen.
The alarm system was allegedly destroyed and removed, while the store’s WiFi system was also allegedly taken.
The kitchen door upstairs reportedly had its burglar door damaged.
The sales manager also allegedly told police that when he entered the shop on the morning of April 13, he noticed that the alarm panel was dark and the lights were off. He initially suspected a power cut before discovering that the switches at the motor box had been turned off.
After restoring the electricity, he allegedly went upstairs with other employees to check the valuable items.
They allegedly found the cellphone cage open, with its padlocks on the floor.
The affidavit states that the employees had secured the store when they left the previous day and, therefore, suspected that someone had broken in.
The cellphone cage was allegedly damaged and the cellphones were missing. The branch manager’s statement further alleges that on April 12, at about 4pm, he received a call from the security systems call centre informing him that there had been an entry at the shop.
He allegedly contacted his assistant, who told him that the sales manager had returned to collect his uniform.
At about 8pm, the branch manager allegedly received another call, this time from Nashua Call Centre, informing him that the cameras were off and that the security systems had been notified.
He allegedly attempted to contact the assistant group security manager but could not reach him.The following morning, at about 8am, he allegedly received a call informing him that the shop had been broken into and that the cellphone cage had been damaged.
He allegedly rushed to the premises, where he found the other employees and police officers. The affidavit states that the police and employees could not immediately establish how the alleged perpetrators had entered the shop.
They allegedly found that the burglar bar at the fire exit had been cut from inside, although the perpetrators could not open the door. They appeared to have moved to the dispatch area, where some keys were found discarded and suspected to have been used to open padlocks before the alleged perpetrators exited.
According to the affidavit, the perpetrators made off with cellphones, smart watches and tablets kept in the cellphone cage. The stolen property is listed in the affidavit as including Hisense, Honor, Huawei, Samsung and Xiaomi cellphones, together with a PS5 Pro console with a 2TB SSD and EA FC 26.
The total value of the stolen property is stated as P1 277 989.80. The DPP alleged that there is a risk that the two may flee the jurisdiction if they are not arrested, citing their ability to move between countries. The accused are represented by Sivesonkhe Ngwenya of Sivesonkhe Ngwenya and Associates.
