LEFT FOR DEAD
No white daughter-inlaw as would be groom is killed before marrying
The past week has been an unbearable one for the Leburu family in Bokaa village, Kgatleng District, after they received news that one of their own, Thatayaone Leburu (43) was found dead beside the road.
Oteng Leburu who is sister to Thatayaone, told The Midweek Sun that it is never easy to accept death but when a loved one dies and is abandoned beside the road as they take their last breath, the pain knows no boundaries.
She recalled how she was awoken from her sleep by the police knocking on her door last week. They first asked her if she had company because there was something important they needed to tell her.
“I told them to say what they had come to tell me because all those who were home were not in a state to speak to the police. That is when they told me that my brother was no more.
“I got into their car and went to the hospital. Once there, I saw something like a sack placed at the back of another police car. At that point, I wondered what was inside it but never asked.
“The police car then drove out headed to the mortuary with us behind them and it was at that point that it finally dawned on me, the sack contained my brother’s dead body!” Oteng said, adding that her suspicions were confirmed when on arrival at the mortuary she was asked to identify her brother’s body.
“It was indeed my brother, his face and head were all bloody, suggesting that indeed he had been hit by a car,” Oteng added.
All sorts of emotions then started to choke her, with anger and pain at the forefront. “Who hits a person and abandons them for dead? Just how cruel can the world be?” she wondered.
It is only now that she is calm after the police finally made a breakthrough by arresting the suspect.
Mochudi Station Commander, Joel Masilo told The Midweek Sun that they have arrested a 44-year-old man and are interrogating him. It is suspected that the man hit Thatayaone and after realising what he had done, sped off.
A passer-by then alerted the police of what had happened.
“We are still investigating the matter, the man is still in our custody,” Masilo confirmed.
Beuthel Ramorwa, a neighbour of the Leburu family is not happy at how the police did not want to share with them details on the arrest of the suspect.
“The entire village was assisting with information that could lead to the arrest of the suspect and we are happy that the family of the suspect has been cooperative. They told us that they will help with burial expenses,” Ramorwa said.
A source said they suspect that the 44-year-old suspect was drunk at the time of hitting and killing Thatayaone.
“We have heard that the man was coming from a party, we know him. He once resided in Bokaa and is now based in Shoshong. Leaving the person that he injured beside the road was a means to escape the police. We have heard that all he does is cry when asked what he has done.” Meanwhile, the family of Thatayaone remains devastated by their loss.
“He was a people’s person, loved by many. He was a hard worker and was always assisting whenever there were community events. He attended funerals and offered a helping hand where possible,” Thatayaone’s uncle Ramphale Mothusi Ramphaleng said. According to another uncle, Leabilwe Joshua Tladi, the deceased had his days when he would be angry and not making sense when talking to people. “Nonetheless, most of the time he was a calm character and could engage in constructive conversations. I loved him because he updated me with the family happenings. He was instrumental in assisting his sisters with ideas of how to better themselves as a family,” Tladi said.
The aunt, Mphosile Leburu, shared that Thatayaone was always a jovial person, loud and always spoke his mind. He felt strongly about family relations as he ensured that the aunt knows well what he and his two sisters were doing or planning.
She recalled how her nephew always told her of how he intends to marry a white woman. “We have lost a humble soul, I was still waiting for the white woman daughter-in-law,” Mphosile shared sadly.