Family Torn At Teacher's Burial

MOSAH MOKGANEDI
Correspondent | Monday July 26, 2010 00:00

 

There were repeated calls for calm as hundreds of distraught mourners braved the chilly morning wind to bid farewell to Shadrack.

The Ramabya's have sworn to leave no stone unturned in finding out what led to his disappearance and eventual death.  Ramabya, a former teacher at Seepapitso Senior Secondary School, was reported missing on May 1.

His decomposed body was found last week after several searches failed amidst counter accusations among family members about who could have been responsible for the man's death.

One of his elder brothers, Fear Ramabya, promised a P10,000 reward for the person who has a lead about what happened to his younger brother.

'Never fear anyone to tell the truth because God will always protect you.  We are not going to hide the truth and say Shadrack was eaten by animals when we know he was not,' said the brother.

The brother went on to reveal that a new rope was used to hang Shadrack and that there was no sign of a suicide note. The uncle, who did not hide his anger, explained that Shadrack owned a lot of things before he got married.  He likened his situation to that of the biblical Adam.

'Mashi ke tswa thobeng ke le phepha, selabe se tla le motsaakgamelo,' he said.

The Botswana Secondary Teachers Union (BOSETU) treasurer, Shadrack Moffat, expressed concern about the disappearance of Ramabya.

He appealed to Bogosi to do something about the disappearance of teachers in Kgatleng because there were many similar deaths in the district.  Kgosi Bana Sekai was disappointed at reports that suggested that the royal family knows about the disappearance of Shadrack.  He however, thanked the mourners for staying through this trying period saying he was afraid that they were going to attack him after hearing the news.  He appealed to all those who know what happened to Shadrack to come forward with the information.  He also was not happy with the slow manner in which the police responded when the matter was reported to them.   Member of Parliament (MP), Gilbert Mangole, pleaded with people to remain calm and stop pointing fingers at each other. He asked the Ramabya family to know that the same feeling that they are going through is what Shadrack's wife is going through.

'Tempers and anger may lead you into looking at things the way they are not,' he warned.