Serowe Crime Shocker: 6 Killed In 7 Days
Koketso Kgoboge | Monday June 17, 2019 14:48
Senior superintendent, Agreement Mapeu said it has become a great concern how people do not value life in their jurisdiction. He said murder, rape and grievous bodily harm are a common occurrence.“It concerns us what people die for. A cheap fight for a puff of tobacco or a trivial misunderstanding ends in brutal killings,” a concerned Mapeu told The Monitor.
When narrating the gruesome incidents of last week, he said, on June 8, 2019 a 17-year-old herd boy of Dipabolo cattlepost near Sandveld allegedly killed his 40-year-old colleague for a tobacco rolling paper. The drunken teenager accused his elder colleague of stealing his paper and after a brief argument; he repeatedly hit the deceased to a pulp with a knobkerrie.
A day after the fight, the deceased who was heavily injured, was taken to Thabala Clinic. He was immediately referred to Sekgoma Memorial Hospital. However, he passed away on the hospital bed a day later. The suspect is in custody and will appear before Serowe Magistrate Court.
In Mmashoro a 19-year-old man stabbed a 20-year-old man multiple times over a fight for a cigarette. The two were drinking at the village chibuku depot together.
The fight ensued when the teenager complained his companion smoked the most and gave him only a little. When the younger man was overpowered, he allegedly stabbed the victim to death with a sharp object, which is suspected to be a knife. The victim lost a lot of blood and was certified dead upon arrival at Sekgoma Hospital. The culprit was arrested. In Serowe, a 17-year-old notorious boy of Makolojwane ward who was known for terrorising people met his matches last weekend when two men battered him to death after he had robbed them. The police senior superintendent reported the teenager had several pending cases of robbery registered with them. He allegedly preyed on his victims and eventual alleged killers at the bars around the ward. On Saturday he snatched a phone from one of his suspected killers at the usual bars he had turned into his hunting ground before taking off on the cover of night. The two suspects aged 24 and 25 chased him and allegedly beat him with metal rods and slashers once they caught up with him. Eyewitnesses reported the violent confrontation with the police. Mapeu said they found the deceased with multiple cuts all over his body lying unconscious in a pool of blood. He was immediately rushed to Sekgoma Hospital and the doctors certified him dead on arrival.
The two suspects were arrested and are detained at the Serowe Police cells.
In another incident, a 21-year-old man of Moiyabana allegedly murdered his 19-year-old girlfriend. The teenager was a Form One boarding student at Mothamo Junior Secondary School in the village.
On the fateful day of June 8, she had sneaked out of the school hostels to join her boyfriend at the village depot.
While at the drinking hole, a misunderstanding ensued between the couple; with the boyfriend accusing her of cheating. Along the way after drinking the suspect allegedly beat and strangled her to death.
The deceased is undergoing a postmortem at Sekgoma Hospital and the accused was arrested in Moiyabana a day after the incident. Another man of Masekolele cattlepost near Majwanaadipitse allegedly beat his girlfriend to death with a knobkerrie. The incident happened at the girl’s home. Neighbours, who heard her loud cries, came running to assist and when they arrived she was lying unconscious.
They took her to Mabeleapudi Clinic and she was later referred to Sekgoma Hospital where she was certified dead.
The culprit was arrested immediately and investigations are ongoing on the matter. In a recent incident in Palapye, two men aged 30 and 35 were involved in a fight after a night of heavy drinking and the latter allegedly stabbed the former with a sharp object.
The deceased was taken to Palapye Primary Hospital and later referred to Gaborone Private Hospital where he was admitted a few days before passing away.
Mapeu noted the greatest concern about the incidents was that they involved young people and alcohol.
“We share a lot of information on alcohol abuse and gender-based violence, but it seems people turn a deaf ear. It appears we still have a lot on our hands,” explained Mapeu. He noted their cluster groups would not despair, as they will continue going around the areas in their jurisdiction to impart messages on social ills.