More Bogadi Beasts Seized

Pini Bothoko | Monday December 3, 2018 14:42

 

Back in July this year, a couple was embarrassed after the police raided a wedding party and seized cattle that were about to be presented as the bride price at Goo-Ruele ward in Kanye. Two months down the line, yet another wedding turned sour this time in Thamaga where a couple suffered the same fate after the police raided their ceremony, confiscating the beasts suspected to be stolen, as the couple and their families were left utterly humiliated. 

In a fresh incident of a similar nature, at Malokaganyane village, the police impounded seven cattle suspected to have been stolen, even though the couple went ahead and celebrated their wedding as planned this past Saturday.  Last week Wednesday, police arrested a 51-year-old man of Radinku ward at Sheep Farm near Ramatlabama in possession of seven suspected stolen cattle, which he tried to register and sell to the couple.  According to the public relations officer of the Botswana Police Service, Dipheko Motube, Kgomokhumo operatives arrested the suspect after he failed to account for the cattle that were kept at the couple’s farm at Malokaganyane. Motube said the cattle were supposed to have been presented as bogadi (bride price) at the couple’s first leg of the wedding ceremony that took place at Lesetlhana ward in Ramotswa on November 24.

“At the time of the suspect’s arrest, the couple had already paid the sum of P9, 000 as part of the payment for the cattle which the suspect had sold at P2, 500 each. The suspect is currently in police custody helping the police with investigations. If found guilty he will be charged with stock theft,” said Motube. He said the police are also questioning the same man after he was found in possession of two matimela cattle bearing his brand marks. He said the cattle were suspected to have been stolen at Hebron village. Reached for comment, the groom, Mpho Sesemo confirmed the incident that nearly interrupted their wedding day.

“Recently, I went to the suspect’s cattle post knowing he is a well known farmer and requested to buy his cattle disclosing to him that I am getting married and want to present them as bogadi,” said Sesemo. “We agreed and I gave him P9, 000 as deposit and he gave me the seven cattle.”

He said on Wednesday he went with him to the Kgotla to register the cattle, but was shocked when the police declined to register them saying that their branding was not visible. “This raised my eyebrows and I suspected something fishy. I went to narrate what transpired at the Kgotla and they advised me not to present them as bogadi, but consider replacing them,” he narrated.  “I went to look for other cattle, paid for them and managed to go ahead with the first leg of our wedding. I did not want anything to jeopardise our wedding celebrations.” Sesemo said last Wednesday they were shocked to hear that the police arrested the man who sold them cattle for stock theft. “I cannot confirm that indeed he stole the cattle because the police said they are only suspecting them to have been stolen. They disclosed to have seized them with their investigations ongoing to establish what really transpired,” he said.

“We celebrated the second leg of our wedding this past Saturday peacefully. We will surely follow him up to request for the P9, 000 we had paid as deposit because we are no longer interested in his service.”  Following these incidents, the police have called on members of the public to be on the lookout for dubious transactions involving suspected stolen cattle.

They also urged potential buyers to always follow proper channels of livestock purchases to avoid being swindled by the stock thieves.

Members of the public have been cautioned to desist from the tendency of making advance payments for livestock before they are cleared from the system. They said doing that could help the public to avoid flirting with danger of being swindled or jointly charged with the perpetrator.