KILLED FOR MONEY
Man murdered just after receiving P40K from his brother Police issue P20 000 reward for the arrest of the culprits Wife of 20 years smells a rat and wants justice
“Can I boil water for you to bath?” These are the last words of Matlho Sepapeng (54) of Mogoditshane Block 9 to his wife Baledzi Sepapeng (47) a few minutes before he died four months ago.
To this day, Baledzi is struggling to come to terms with the abrupt death of her husband. What hurts most is that the police are struggling to catch her husband’s killers.
The couple had on that fateful day been talking about projects they will soon embark on, how they needed to go on a fasting program only for him to die when she least expected it.
Her husband was attacked and robbed by thieves at their home in Mogoditshane, making away with at least P40 000.
According to Baledzi, on the day her husband died, they had just sold a portion of their ploughing field situated in the outskirts of Molepolole to the husband’s younger brother Bonni Ramoagi. The agreement was that the brother would pay off the remaining balance of P15 000 at a later time. “He called us to Molepolole to get the money which was to be withdrawn at a bank in the village. After getting the P40 000, I put some of the money in my bag, while my husband took the remaining notes and put them in the pockets of his jeans,” says a grieving Baledzi.
Before heading back to their home in Mogoditshane, her husband pleaded with her that they buy a cow in one of the nearby cattle posts. “We drove there and he negotiated with the elderly seller to give it to us at a discounted price of P2 400, we convinced him that we had no money,” she said. After the sale, her husband took the cow to his brother’s kraal through the help of the brother’s children. Ramoagi was to temporarily look after it on their behalf. “They walked to the kraal while I drove through the thick bushy area behind them. All this time, the money was still in his pockets and some in my bag,” said Baledzi.
“On our way back to Mogoditshane, we also
passed by his sisters in Mmanoko for a greet and pass. We only arrived in Mogoditshane around 9 pm and we agreed we would deposit the money the next day fearing getting attacked.” Upon arrival and before opening the gate to their home, they noticed a man on his phone not far from their house. They suspiciously drove past him as the man seemingly calculated his moves. After parking the car inside their home, the wife remained in the car as she was still on her phone, while her husband stepped out and unlocked the house. “He came out minutes later dressed in overalls and not the jeans he was wearing earlier. He asked me if he should boil water for me to bath and I said yes. He went behind the house to feed the dogs first and I still remained in the car,” said Baledzi. While still busy on her phone, she saw four men rushing towards her. Before she could react, they grabbed her and immediately twisted her hand and demanded that she gives them her phone. She panicked and asked what they wanted. “Give us money,” they responded. “I had forgotten all about the bag and asked what money? They slapped me repeatedly and told me to stop playing games. One of them then shouted ‘the bag, the bag,’ and that is when I remembered the money, I pointed to the bag.” They snatched the bag and without even opening it demanded for more money. Baledzi tried playing dumb but it seemed they knew exactly what they wanted and where to look. They went inside the house and came out a few minutes later holding my husband’s jeans. They rushed out and got into a getaway car that sped off. “We screamed but no one came to help us. I even lost my voice screaming. I was confused and not understanding what had just happened. When I turned around, I saw my husband looking like he was kneeling in front of our house. I thought he was praying and thankful to be alive.” “I rushed to him, telling him that we should call for help but he was not responsive. I shook him and he fell on my lap. His breathing was louder than usual, he was bleeding from the back of his head. I rushed him to hospital for help, but when we arrived at Bokamoso hospital, he was pronounced dead,” shared Baledzi. How she survived the attack of those men and is now able to tell a tale about it is a miracle, she says - she thought by now she would be dead too, from the injuries left on her.
She had refused to vacate her home when advised to because she thought her days were nearer. It was only right that she breathed her last where her husband died. “I never slept for three days, I thought it was all a nightmare that I will soon wake up from. But he is really gone. A man I have been with for more than 20 years is dead,” she said. What confuses Baledzi to this day is why the attackers
targeted their house that day, explaining that their house is one of the least developed around their area. All they have is a two and half-roomed house with no electricity.
“We are surrounded by mansions, houses that ‘scream’ money from a distance but the thieves came to us, why? I really need the police to unravel this one for closure,” she said, adding that she has many questions regarding how the thieves knew that there was money in her bag and more inside the house. The thieves did not count the money in her bag, how did they know which jeans to search and why did they not suspect that there might be more after getting the jeans? What further worries her is that the thieves seemingly had no weapons on them, they picked nearby stones to use in their attack. “They were not in possession of either a gun or a knife. Do people who plan robberies involving such amounts go unarmed? I am really confused. They hit my husband with a rock on his head and his brain was affected that is how he died,” she said. Since December last year, the Botswana Police has not been able to unravel the case. They are now offering a P20 000 reward to anyone who can provide information that can lead to the arrest of the killers.