A witness told the High Court on Friday that in 2017, she was transferred from the police Criminal Investigation Division (CID) to the Beat Patrol Unit for wearing a T-shirt with the picture of the late Police Constable Mokalekale Khetheng.

Khetheng who was based in Mokhotlong at the time of his disappearance in March 2016 was wanted by the Hlotse Police for arson.

Four Hlotse police officers including the then commander of Leribe police, Senior Superintendent Thabo Tšukulu are charged with Khetheng’s murder.

The other accused include Mabitle Matona, Mothibeli Mofolo and Haleokoe Taasoane.

In her testimony on Friday, Sergeant Khothatso Mphutlane said some time in 2017 before her abrupt transfer, she was summoned to Tšukulu’s office who demanded to know why she was wearing a T-shirt with the missing cop’s picture.

She told him that Khetheng’s family was looking for him and nobody knew his whereabouts, hence  the T-shirt was part of a campaign to help look for their missing colleague.

The court heard how instead Tšukulu ordered the witness to go home and take off that T-shirt, failing which; she must never set her foot in the police compound again.

After she removed the T-shirt, Mphutlane returned to her office but Tšukulu once again summoned her to his office and this time he told her she had been transferred to the beat office, the court heard.

Two months later, the witness told the court that Tšukulu once again transferred her and this time to the Peka Police Post, on the outskirts of Hlotse.

But because she had sought a court order barring the transfer, her relocation was unsuccessful, the court further heard.