Daughter's ex in spotlight after fire guts family home
Innocent Selatlhwa | Thursday January 22, 2026 10:05
The Basimas are just grateful that when the fire broke out, all nine who were to spend the night in the house were elsewhere when the fire broke out.
When one enters the family home at Ramashana ward, they are met by a rubble of broken walls. Just behind it is remains of furniture, including fridges, beds, tables and other household items. The family is trying to pick up the pieces.
Speaking to this publication at their homestead alongside his wife, 53-year-old Phakedi Basima said on New Year’s Eve, around 8 pm, they went to sell food at the bars. He said that whilst they were there, his wife pleaded with him to go fetch some spices at home.
“I rushed home to get the spices. When I got there, I switched all the lights in the house (on), except for the passage one. I also made sure to close the kitchen door using a shooter before I locked the main door and left home just after midnight,” he said.
Basima said that within 30 minutes after leaving the house, he received a call from neighbours who told him that his house was on fire.
“I rushed there with another neighbour, and when we got there, I tried to run into the house, but realised the fire was too strong. I then just stood there watching my house burn to the ground whilst others called for help,” he said.
Even though he had locked the kitchen door using a shooter, Basima said neighbours told him that by the time they realised the house was on fire, the kitchen door was open.
According to Basima, the fire destroyed everything inside the house, including five beds, a dressing table, head board, a kitchen unit, two fridges, a deep freezer, three piece room divider, a washing machine, and couches, amongst other things.
Basima said when they left home, they had left some of their children and grandchildren with the intention that he would return home to be with them as his wife continued selling food. He said the elder children would then decide to go out before he returned for spices and left the younger ones at his brother’s place nearby.
For her part, his devastated wife Maopere Basima said they also lost church regalia, loads of plates, buckets, three TV stands, foldable tables, and plastic chairs. “We walked out with nothing, all our clothes were burnt. I had P5,500 inside the house whilst my husband had P800 in his clothes,” she said.
Quizzed on what they suspected to have caused the fire, Basima (Phakedi) said they have a suspect who has in the past been convicted of causing trouble at their home, being an ex-boyfriend of their daughter. He pointed to two cars, a seven-seater Mazda MPV and a Toyota RunX, which he said the suspect had torched and broken the windows.
“This guy has a child with my daughter, and for some reason, he does something like this every year. Unfortunately, he has not been apprehended because he was not caught red-handed. The police are still investigating the case. They told us they want to be thorough and they will keep updating us,” he said.
Basima said the daughter in question was at the bars on the night and that the said individual had harassed her on the night, stating that he wanted things he had bought for her. “She gave him a shirt she was wearing and a cellphone she was using. He, however, said it was not enough and said he wanted stuff bought using his money,” she said.
Basima, who works as a cook at the Botswana Defence Force, said they have since received support from villagers and social workers who donated some money for food and clothes. The family currently shares a smaller house with his mother in the same compound.
They have since pleaded with those who come across their story, who can assist, to reach out to them. “My wife does not work, whilst I am almost at my retirement age. It is not going to be easy for us to restore what we worked hard to build over the years. It is our hope that we will be assisted by good Samaritans. Most importantly, we want justice served,' he said.
Meanwhile, the police have confirmed the incident and stated that investigations are ongoing. Kanye Police Station Commander Superintendent Onkgomoditse Sekaba-Masala said they received a call in the wee hours of New Year’s Day about the fire. “We rushed to the scene and also called the fire services. Unfortunately, nothing was salvaged from the fire,” she said.
Sekaba-Masala said they were investigating the matter and kept in touch with the family. She would, however, not discuss anything in relation to the said suspect, stating that she would not want to jeopardise their investigation in any way.