Lil' Clifford was deceived, tied, burned alive
Innocent Selatlhwa | Wednesday August 20, 2025 06:58
On Friday, one of the lead investigators in the case, Assistant Commissioner Detective Sergeant Marapo, took the witness stand and made shocking revelations about what Selaolo told him whilst interviewing her.
Marapo testified that Selaolo confessed to burning Clifford after binding him during a fabricated 'game', though her defence asserts the confession was extracted under torture.
Selaolo was arrested on March 13, 2016, after police were informed that she was the last person to be seen with little Clifford whose remains were exhumed on April 12, 2016, near a hill in Mmankgodi. The deceased had reportedly disappeared on March 1, 2016, after he failed to come back from Bosele Primary School.
According to Marapo, during an interview on April 11, 2016, Selaolo said she knew where Clifford was and that she along with two others, Seemise and Onalepelo, had killed him. “The two were called for an interview and they denied doing it. She then changed her story and told us she buried him on top of a hill in Mmankgodi and we went there on the same day,” he said.
Marapo said Selaolo led police officers and villagers to a hill, where she pointed to a spot beneath a Mosetlha tree, where a burnt shoe and a sock were found. He said he asked Selaolo when she dug the hole, and she said she dug it together after she had told him that they were digging for traditional medicine.
“She also revealed that when she realised the hole was deep enough, she asked the boy they play a game whereby you tie the other’s legs and they get inside the whole then try to get out. She said she was the first one to get in and the boy assisted her to get out. She said when it was the boy’s turn, she tied him poured petrol on him, and burnt him. When she realised he was dead, she covered the hole with soil,” Marapo told court.
He told court that following the exhumation of the body the following day, they found Sellotape, shopping plastics, and ropes. He said this made him believe that indeed Selaolo killed the boy and this amounted to a confession. He said he then told the other investigating officer in the matter to register the case with the Magistrate's Court.
During cross-examination, Selaolo’s attorney told the court that her client was assaulted by female police officers at Broadhurst Police Station, her head covered with a black plastic bag, which forced her into making the statements. She added that Selaolo would deny ever leading police to the hill where Clifford was allegedly buried, insisting that even during the site visit she was still being assaulted. However, Marapo denied any knowledge of Selaolo’s alleged mistreatment.
The trial will resume on September 15 and November 3, 2025. Although Justice Matlhogonolo had hoped to conclude the matter over the weekend, he said this was not possible, citing government’s financial constraints.