CKGR family owes P100,000 in mortuary fees
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Tuesday October 25, 2022 06:00
Gaoberekwe has been lying in the mortuary awaiting burial since mid-December 2021 pending a court case.
This came after the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) rejected the family's entry application into the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR) to bury the father's remains.
The government and the family are in a dispute over the burial of Gaoberekwe. “We owe the mortuary a lot of money. The last time we checked, which is last month, the bill was over P100,000. At first, the council had covered some of the costs, but these are the ones we incurred after losing the court case and we have appealed the matter.
The date for trial might be set for next month and that the cost might rise,” the family's spokesperson, Smith Moeti told The Monitor. Initially, the family had applied for an entry permit after they settled out of court with the Gantsi District Council.
The latter had taken the matter to court seeking an order to bury the deceased in New Xade. The council wanted Gaoberekwe to be buried in New Xade, but the family opposed this insisting that as per the Sesarwa culture, their father has to be buried in the CKGR where he originates. Although the two parties’ settlement was approved by the Lobatse High Court, the DWNP has denied the family entry into the CKGR.
The High Court had approved the settlement by the two parties, which gave the family the green light to enter the CKGR to bury the deceased.
However, things changed as the DWNP made an application before the High Court which barred the family entry into the CKGR and filed the matter at a higher court. Gaoberekwe’s body, who died on December 21, 2021, and his body still lies in the awaits the end of the dispute regarding his burial site. Currently, the matter is before the Court of Appeal and the Gaoberekwes managed to file the heads of argument as the court had ordered.