Did police bury unidentified farm worker?

LEKOPANYE MOOKETSI
Correspondent | Tuesday August 7, 2007 00:00

A source says the SSG boss used 16 'loyal' members from his command section to bury the farm worker. 

Some of the officers who are alleged to have attended the funeral declined an interview. 
The source claimed that the master of ceremonies was dressed in police uniform. He is believed to be a pastor. 

He said the officers attended the vigil on Thursday night and conducted the burial the following day. 

He claimed that some of the officers were in uniform on Friday and they used police vehicles. 

He said the funeral service was conducted at Maphane's residence at Extension 11 near the Middle Star shopping complex.

An SSG officer who did not want to be named said the police buried Maphane's farm worker because his relatives were not found. 

He said it was not established whether the farm worker was Zimbabwean.  The SSG officer said the farmer worker had died the previous Friday, a week prior to the funeral day.

He claims that the police officers were the only people at the funeral.
He also wondered whether Maphane followed the right procedure of burying a person whose relatives were unknown.

Other SSG officers who were interviewed over the weekend confirmed that they heard that the SSG officers were at the burial of the farm worker.

An independent source, said he also saw police officers and government owned vehicles with BX number plates at Maphane's yard on Friday morning.

When he was contacted, Maphane denied that he used police officers and government vehicles at the funeral.  Maphane said he never ordered any police officer to bury his farm worker.  He said the farm worker was buried by members of the community in the customary manner. 

'Of course he is also a human being,' he said, about his farm worker whose relatives could not be traced.

When he was told about the presence of police officers in uniform, he said, maybe people saw him because that was his yard.  But he indicated that he was not wearing uniform on that day.  He said he never saw any police officers in uniform.

Maphane said his farm worker originated from Palapye but all his relatives had died.  He said the farm worker also had an identity card.

He said he followed the right procedures in burying a person whose relatives could not be traced, adding that he sought permission from the District Commissioner.

But the Gaborone District Commissioner, Richard Oaitse denied the claim, insisting that he does not issue such permits for the burial of Batswana.  He said he does not recall anything about this particular case.

Oaitse said he could only issue permits for the burial of foreigners whose relatives could not be identified.

But in case of Batswana, he refers the matter to tribal authorities where the deceased person originated.

He said if somebody wanted a permit to bury a Motswana he would advise him or her to contact the chief where the deceased person originated. 

'I want them to go to the tribal authorities. If it is a Motswana, I can't grant permission,' he said.

In some cases he also grants permits to police officers and hospital authorities to bury unidentified foreigners. 

Oaitse said he only issues permits to government institutions to conduct burials and not to individuals.

Meanwhile, after inquiring from Maphane, the Botswana Police public relations officer, Chris Mbulawa said the SGG commander told him that police officers who attended the funeral had just come to offer their condolences as colleagues.  He said Maphane had told him that no instruction was issued for people to attend the funeral and government vehicles were not used.

Earlier on, Mbulawa said it was not wrong to attend funerals in police uniform.  He said it could only have been wrong if the officers were officially assigned to the funeral.