Killer cop arrived in full police uniform - witness

LEKOPANYE MOOKETSI
Correspondent | Friday December 4, 2009 00:00

The 57-year-old Sub Inspector William Kgathi appeared in court this week for the murder of 39-year-old Mpehe Sebele.  This week, Sebele's friends and work mates described Kgathi as a possessive man who used to torment his lover.  Sebele was working as an assistant at a liquor restaurant at African Mall.

Mosadi Mosimane was not only working with her, but she is also a tenant at Sebele's family home in Ledumang where the incident occurred.  Sebele was shot in Mosimane's backyard room where she sought refuge. A traumatized Mosimane will never forget that fateful day.   Mosimane no longer trusts police officers after what happened.  Even now she does not feel safe as she fears that Kgathi might return to finish her off. She said Sebele was doing her washing that morning when her boyfriend pitched up in full police uniform.   He was also driving a police vehicle.  'You could never suspect anything.' 'I found him coming from the toilet and he greeted me nicely,' she said amid sobs.  'When I saw him, he was relaxed.'  She said Kgathi was not holding anything.  She believes that he took out the gun after she had left. suspecting anything, Mosimane said she went to buy airtime at a tuck shop.  But she had not reached her destination when a child shouted at her that Mma Thabang (Sebele) was calling her.   The child warned her that there was some commotion in the yard. Mosimane said as she rushed to the 44yard, she dialed the police emergency number 999 and reported that there is some trouble at their house.   The person who answered the call assured her that the police were coming.  But she said they only came after a long time.She said when she came back, she saw Kgathi holding a big rifle at the backyard.  She added that it seemed he was looking for Sebele.   Fearing for her own safety as well, Mosimane fled with a one of the childlren who was in the yard. Sebele sought sanctuary in Mosimane's  room, which was not locked.   Mosimane said as he was looking for Sebele, Kgathi shattered the windows of the main house and of her backyard room with the butt of the gun.  She said after Kgathi was done with the dastardly act, he stepped on the bonnet of the police van.  She said he fired in the air to scare away people, adding that a bullet missed another man who approaching.   But then a crowd had gathered outside the yard and the police arrived later.   Mosimane said Kgathi was disarmed by his son who was coming from the SSG camp.  She said Kgati later drove away.  Mosimane said her room was splattered with blood after the incident.  There was blood all the room.  On Thursday she was still cleaning the room.  There was a bullet hole on the wall and her wardrobe was also shattered by bullets. Mosimane has been traumatized by the incident.  She said every time when she is alone, she thinks about the whole thing. She is wondering if what all of Sebele's children and her mother who lives in the yard were there during the incident.  She said Sebele's elder son, could never had left her mother to be killed. Mosimane said on Saturday, Sebele told her that Kgathi has broken all the locks of her room.  'She said he wanted to beat her,' she said. 

Mosimane said she had to sleep with Sebele on that day because she was concerned about her safety.   Mosimane describes Kgathi as a quiet person who did not socialise with other people.  He only spent his time with Sebele.  'He was just somebody that we respected,' she said. Mosimane said Sebele did not cheat on her policeman boyfriend. 

She said did not have any social life to speak about.  But she said Kgathi was so possessive of her.    Sebele's childhood friend, Mmelegi Maribela said Kgathi could have killed them together if she was not in Francistown on that day.  She said Kgathi has never liked her and he had always made his intentions clear. Maribela said Kgathi loathed her because Sebele always told her about their squabbles.  She said Kgathi did not want Sebele to tell anyone that he was abusing her. Maribela said in March, Sebele told her that Kgathi has threatened that he would kill the two of them.  'That man was sure that he was going to kill us together.   Even after killing Sebele, I think he was searching for me and Sebele's mother because we were always together,' she said. Maribela recalled an incident when they went to a party with Sebele.  She said when they came, Sebele told her that Kgathi has been choking her.  'But she told me that I should not tell her mother.  She always told me about her troubled relationship but she begged me not to tell other people.' Maribela said Kgathi did not want Sebele to have any friends.  'He was very jealous.  He did not want as her friends.  He used to lock her in her room,' she said. She said Kgathi did not support Sebele financially.  But when he bought clothes for her children, he would be fuming that she got money from other men.    Maribela said at one time, Kgathi demanded that Sebele should hand over all the clothes that he bought for her. She said on Thursday last week, Kgathi told her about their problems.   Maribela said every time when it was month end, Kgathi would turn bellicose.   'On month end, he would become very angry.'   She said he behaved this way so that Sebele could not ask for him for some money.   Maribela said on Thursday last week, Sebele told her that their fights have started again.  However, Maribela said she decided to leave for Francistown on Friday.  She never spoke with Sebele over the phone until she was informed about her death on Monday.  Maribela denied the malicious stories that people have been making about her late friend.  She said Maribela was not a promiscuous person. Sebele's tearful 17-year old son, Thabang Sebele said Kgathi fought with his mother on Saturday. 

However, he said, his grandmother reconciled them.   He said Kgathi said left for the SSG camp that evening and came back on Sunday. Thabang said when he came from church on Sunday, his mother gave him  money to go to one of their relatives at the Village.  He said his mother told him that he did not want him to witness what would happen to her.   Thabang said a friend called him on Monday to inform him that his mother has been shot.

'When I came here, I found that my mother has already been taken to hospital,' he said. Thabang said Kgathi told that his affair with his mother, would end on Monday.  'He told me that on Monday he would end the relationship with my mother.   He told me that I would never see him again.' But the teenager said he never expected that the relationship was going to end this way. Another relative of Sebele, said Kgathi always beat her up.  But she said Sebele's always managed to restore peace between the two lovers.   The relative who preferred anonymity, said she was aware about the two lovers' strained relationship.   But she also did not suspect that Kgathi would end up terminating Sebele's life. Meanwhile, this is not the first that an SSG officer has killed a lover.  Some few years ago, former Police XI striker, Oliver Pikati, who was stationed at SSG, killed his girlfriend with a service rifle and then turned the gun on himself.