Inspector Ricardo Mabotho died last Sunday when the police helicopter he and two other colleagues were in, crashed into the Okavango Delta. Investigations into the crash are continuing as a shocked nation seeks answers.
Yesterday, Modisaotsile, recalled how his younger brother was excited at the prospect of joining the newly established Air Wing several years ago, only for an illness to prevent him from going for training. Only the hope that he would be part of the second group kept Ricardo going, recalls Modisaotsile. In 2010, Ricardo finally started training with the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) and later went to an aviation school in South Africa.Born in 1982, Ricardo was the fourth sibling in a family of seven children, which included three boys. According to his brother, Ricardo was a bright student throughout his schooling career, which began at Lekgolobotlo Primary School and ended in 2001 at Moeding College. Upon completing his Botswana General Certificate in Secondary Education (BGCSE), Ricardo was admitted to the University of Botswana to study Mechanical Engineering, but later opted to join the Botswana Police Service. “I remember that in 2003, when he first went for training, he kept it from me that he was joining the police,” the older Mabotho remembers. Modisaotsile said his brother was also keen on learning as he studied throughout his career, garnering certificates in various disciplines over the years. Ricardo was initially stationed in Gaborone as part of the Special Support Group (SSG) before joining the Air Wing based at the Sir Seretse Khama Airport. As the nation began the long Easter weekend a few days ago, Ricardo, like many other urban-based workers, was back in his home village of Lekgolobotlo in the south. He had passed by to bid his parents farewell as he embarked on a work trip that would take him between Francistown, Maun and Gumare. “He was calling our parents throughout the trip, letting them know where he was,” Modisaotsile recalls.The older Mabotho describes the premature loss of his younger brother as a loss not just to the family, but also to the whole village of Lekgolobotlo, which had been brimming with pride for years at birthing its own pilot. “E ne e le naletsana, go tswa bonnyennyaneng ja gagwe. O ne a filwe ke Modimo,” Mabotho says. “He was so respectful to his elders.”
