CAVES OF DEATH
Slain UB student’s body hidden in Phikwe’s hills
Boyfriend arrested after two months on the run
Having played hide and seek with the boys in blue for almost two months, a man suspected of bashing his girlfriend to death with a rock is now in police custody after the long arm of the law caught up with him last Wednesday.
Acting on a tip-off, the cops pounced on 30-year-old Tshireletso Letsholo at his parents’ house in Tsetsebjwe village.
He was wanted in connection with the disappearance of his sweetheart, 20-year-old University of Botswana (UB) student, Charity Gaborone, who was last seen in Selibe Phikwe on 12th June.
According to Phikwe Station Commander, Meshack Pulenyana, immediately after his arrest, the suspect led them some 80km away to a hilly area in the former mining town’s Distance location, where he had hidden his lover’s body in a cave under a pile of rocks.
“The hill where the body was found is behind Makhubu Junior Secondary School. We have been looking for the accused person for a very long time and he was on the run. Luckily, someone tipped us that they saw him at his parent’s house and we responded quickly.
“After his arrest, he took us to the hill and showed us where he had kept the body,” revealed the senior superintendent.
To get to the dead woman’s corpse, Pulenyana’s officers had to call the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) for help with moving the huge rocks piled on top of her remains.
“The body was decomposed beyond recognition,” continued the top cop in hushed tones, adding Gaborone had been in Phikwe visiting her sibling.
Meanwhile, a source close to the case told The Voice it seemed the couple walked to the hill together, with Gaborone either tricked into going or too scared to refuse.
“I do not think he dragged her there. It’s either the killer tricked her with something or forced her to go with him as he had his mission. When he was arrested, he told the police he killed her because she was cheating,” said the source.
Once at the summit of the hill, it is believed Letsholo struck his girlfriend over the head with a stone and continued striking her as she lay helplessly on the ground.
Arraigned before Selibe Phikwe Magistrates’ Court on Monday morning, the suspect was remanded in custody as investigations were just beginning. Looking slightly bemused by proceedings, deep in his own thoughts, Letsholo declined the opportunity to address court when given the chance. He is due back for mention on 15th September.
Gaborone was buried in her home village, Tsetsebjwe, over the weekend.