DEFIANT STANCE
Family ignores court ruling, to bury father inside CKGR To be buried on December 21, two years after his death Fresh war ensues over who to foot the mortuary bill Mortuary drained by the matter as only skeleton remains
The family of the late Gaoberekwe Pitseng who died on the 21st of December 2021 is finally planning burial for the old man in the next 22 days. Speaking to The Midweek Sun this past Tuesday, Smith Moeti who considered Pitseng his father, said that they intend to bury Pitseng on the same day he died. They will bury him on the 21st December 2023, exactly two years later at the Central Kgalagadi Game Reserve (CKGR). CKGR is where government has denied the family permission to bury Pitseng, saying he can be buried anywhere else, but the CKGR national park. The matter reached the courts of law with Moeti holding the hand of the deceased son, Lesiame Pitseng firmly, and together argued that their father should not be denied an opportunity to be buried in his ancestral land. However, the family lost the case and when an appeal was lodged, the Court of Appeal upheld the ruling of the lower court. Aggrieved, the Pitseng family has now reported Botswana to the African Commission hoping that it will lead to the matter being taken to the African Court.
Moeti said while they await the decision of the African Commission, they want to continue with burial because the case is no longer about burying the old man but the rights of all Basarwa born
and bred in CKGR. “We want to bury him; we do not see anyone stopping us. We will not bury him anywhere but CKGR. We told government that if they want, they can bury him at a place they want because we will not take him anywhere. They have failed to do so, now we are burying him,” Moeti said. Asked if they will be footing the mortuary service bill at Joyce Parlour for having kept the body for so long, Moeti said it was not their responsibility. “We did not delay with burial, government did. We were ready to bury him as soon as possible but they stopped us. I hope the funeral parlour will not try and refuse with the body. They know who took the body there, it was not us” he said. He said that in their Sesarwa culture, when a person dies, they keep them inside a house for a day and a half then bury them around noon on day two. They do not take people to the morgue. Reached for comment, owner of Joyce Funeral Parlour, who identified herself as Joyce, said the matter was exhausting her. “I have just come out of a meeting regarding that issue. Kindly call the office for answers,” she said. Pressed further, Joyce said she expects the Pitseng family to foot the bill saying the body had deteriorated so much in appearance that it was no longer a body but just a skeleton. Her phone then disconnected. When her office was reached, Joyce Funeral Parlour explained that they do not have the bill readily available for sharing, they promised to share it once they have the information with them.
They hinted that Gantsi Council paid their part sometime in March this year and they are still not sure who will be footing the costs incurred from March to date. Chairperson of Gantsi District Council, Jerimiah Tibi said they have paid more than P60 000 to the Parlour and the rest is the responsibility of the Pitseng family. “We have paid the costs for the period when the body was still under our care, whatever cost that has accumulated is with them,” he said.