Khahliso Khama
MASERU — Popular PC FM presenter DJ Counter Force last Friday allegedly shot a teenager who is in love with his stepdaughter.
Counter Force, whose real name is Liteboho Nkuebe, allegedly shot Mohlominyane Lelia, 19, on the left arm after he found him with his stepdaughter at his in-laws’ house in Lithabaneng.
Mohlominyane said he had gone to the house to see Counter Force’s 15-year-old stepdaughter (name withheld) when the incident happened.
Mohlominyane and the girl are lovers.
But Counter Force claimed that he thought the young man was an intruder.
He also claimed he did not intentionally shoot Mohlominyane.
The popular DJ, who is also a shareholder in PC FM and a programmes manager at the station, said he did not know that he had shot Mohlominyane until Saturday night when the Thamae police called him to give a statement.
Mohlominyane lives in the same village with Counter Force’s in-laws.
He said he was invited to the house by Counter Force’s stepdaughter to talk about “something”.
Drama is alleged to have started when Counter Force arrived at the house with his wife.
In interviews on Tuesday, Mohlominyane and Counter Force gave different accounts of what transpired on the night.
When the Lesotho Times spoke to him on Tuesday morning, Mohlominyane was visibly in pain and looked traumatised.
His left arm was heavily bandaged and he had bruises on his face.
He also had a five-stitch wound on his head.
Mohlominyane said Counter Force dragged him out of the house and beat him.
Then he fired a gun, Mohlominyane claimed.
“(His daughter) called me to her home on Friday saying there was something she wanted to talk about,” Mohlominyane said.
He said about 20 minutes after he arrived, Counter Force “stormed into” the house.
“(His daughter) ran out and his father dragged me asking me questions while pointing a gun at me. But I couldn’t hear or answer his questions because I was scared,” said Mohlominyane, a second-year engineering student at Lerotholi Polytechnic.
Mohlominyane was treated at Queen Elizabeth II Hospital on the same night and was released shortly afterwards.
He said the incident had left him shocked.
Police spokesperson Masupha Masupha confirmed the incident.
Counter Force however has a different version of the story.
He said on the night of the incident he passed through his in-laws’ house to drop some food for his stepdaughter.
He was with his wife.
He said he called his stepdaughter on her phone to come and pick the food but the girl did not come out.
“We waited for 20 minutes without her showing up,” said Counter Force.
“I went to the house to check what was going on but there was nothing.”
He said when he realised that his daughter was not in the main house he went to check another house in the homestead.
“I heard something moving in the garage and I pulled out my gun. I told the person to come to me before I shot him,” he said.
“I hit him because I realised there was something going on in the house. As I hit him he tried holding my arms then accidentally the gun fired,” he said, adding that he did not realise that the boy had been shot during the fracas.
He said he pulled his gun because he thought Mohlominyane was an intruder.
There had been previous cases of burglary at the house, Counter Force claimed.
Mohlominyane’s father, T’sepo Lelia, said he was worried by the way the Thamae police had handled the case.
Lelia said a police officer at the station advised him to negotiate a compensation deal with Counter Force but he refused.
He said he was shocked that the police had released Counter Force without a charge.
“I was also astonished when they asked to see his gun but did not keep it. The gun is an exhibit which they had to keep,” Lelia said.
“This incident shocked me. There was never an incident before to give us an impression that Counter Force had a problem with Mohlominyane.
“Even today, he hasn’t come forward to ask for forgiveness if ever this was a mistake,” Lelia said.
“This man is selfish. He is full of himself and is disrespectful.”
Lelia still believes Counter Force shot his son intentionally.
“All I need is for the law to take its course.”
But Counter Force said he waited long before reporting the case to the police because he thought the boy’s parents would approach him to find out what happened.
“I realised I shot the boy on Saturday evening when police called me.”
He said there was nothing wrong with the way he reacted when he found Mohlominyane in the house.
“I have a right to protect my daughter like any parent in their right mind would,” he said.
