‘We blame the police’– Molepolole villagers
MOLEPOLOLE: Incensed Molepolole residents yesterday thronged the kgotla meeting called by the village leadership to address the recent spate of missing persons, murder incidents and riots. The residents took turns accusing the police of choosing to sit on matters and not taking action. Taking the stand one by one asking questions, the residents did not mince their words threatening that they will take the law into their own hands. “Nna ga ke minde go bolaya motho le nna ka gore ha gona mosola (I don’t mind killing a person as well since we do not get any help),” he said.
The villagers charged at the Acting Police Commissioner, Solomon Mantswe venting their frustration at the police especially the Molepolole Police Station. They believe the police took long to take action hence why some members of the community out of frustration took matters into their own hands. Last week Thursday, just after 8pm the village of Molepolole caught fire, literally, as angry villagers burnt the Kgotla, blocked roads expressing their frustration at the police.
This was after a taxi driver, Phenyo Jakoba (35) was found dead with his body badly decomposed with some body parts allegedly missing. This week a missing young woman was found dead.
As the village went up in smoke, with the whole country watching, Kgosi Kgari III called a Kgotla meeting flanked by the Acting Commissioner of Police , the Minister of State President, Kabo Morwaneg and Member of Parliament for Molepolole North, Oabile Regoeng and other village elders.
When addressing the meeting, Kgosi Kgari expressed his disappointment with the ‘behaviour’ of the villagers saying that it was wrong for them to take the matter into their own hands. He reminded the villagers that the law enforcement officers were doing that job and it was wrong for some to take to the streets and burn the Kgotla.
Given a chance to speak all speakers condemned the police. Villagers expressed that had the police not dragged their feet in addressing the matter, the village would have not ‘burnt.’
“Why does it have to take the Kgotla being burnt for us to see law enforcement all over Molepolole. Where were the para-military SSG, the army, the BDF and the police when we reported the cases without help,” one speaker asked.
Another added: “Every time we report to the police station they tell us there are no cars to attend to the scene. Why is it that after some of us did what they did out of frustration, all of a sudden there are 50 cars in Molepolole. Why is that when there is a poaching incident, all the resources, the police helicopters are deployed but the same is not given to missing persons cases? Is a life of a human not important to government?”
Another village elder took the microphone and accused the police of working with ‘Bo-Rraboko’. “We are inclined to believe these people have the police in their pockets because no matter how many reports, no matter how much information we give to the police, they turn a blind eye.”
“How come it is only our children who go missing, how come we never hear of any of the politicians’ children having gone missing,” another shouted from the crowd.
The residents further believe that because the police drag their feet when dealing with missing persons, people who could have been saved are eventually killed . “I believe if the police gave these cases priority, I don’t think we would be finding some people dead. Why does it seem like we want to wait until a missing person is killed before we take the matter seriously,” another asked rhetorically.
All speakers blamed the men in blue for Molepolole being in chaos with some calling for the release of those who have been arrested for burning the Kgotla.
“Kgotla e ne e le eng! (What do you think a kgotla is!). Please free those people. The murder is more painful and worrisome than Kgotla structures,” one resident remarked.
However, in response the Acting Police Commissioner, Mantswe confirmed that indeed Jakoba had been found with some body parts missing. He said the police have since arrested someone in relation to the murder.
“It is true that his body was found with some body parts missing. It is not true however, that we found the missing parts. Whilst investigating we got information that the missing parts were hidden somewhere. The police rushed to the place but we found nothing,” Mantswe clarified.
For the case of One Motlhabakgomo, Mantswe confirmed that her body too has been found and handed to the family. However, according to the top cop, her suspected murderer has skipped the country to neighbouring South Africa.
“We will institute a process to have him arrested through our mutual legal assistance system and eventually extradited back to Botswana. But you should know that South Africa has laws of its own and one of those is that they do not extradite accused persons to countries where they could possibly face the death penalty,” Mantswe said to the disappointment of the villagers who had gathered at the Kgotla.
Mantswe, however, reassured members of the village that the police will improve on its delivery but denied that they are the worst institution under government as alluded to by former councillor and the Botswana National Front (BNF) politician, Arafat Khan.