Deceased Malaysian students arrive home today

BABOKI KAYAWE
Staff Writer | Tuesday January 17, 2012 00:00

 

He said the deceased, Olatetse Takongwa, who was doing his third year in Bachelor of Information Technology and Thatano Mokgethi also a third year student of Science in Business Computing will be in Johannesburg at 6.00am, unfortunately they could not find a flight from that point to Gaborone.

'From there they will be transported by road because we tried to make a special arrangement to have the bodies flown home but we didn't succeed,' Mooko says, adding that if all goes well, the bodies will arrive around lunchtime.

Ministry officials and the bereaved will meet the bodies at a border he did not name because it was yet to be confirmed with the repatriating team. The bodies will be accompanied by senior education attache, Gasethata Kilano who is based in China and serving Malaysia.

Mooko further said that upon arrival in Gaborone, the deceased would be transported to mortuaries in their respective home villages (town) of Tutume and Selebi-Phikwe where burial arrangements will be made.

He said his ministry would also hear the findings of an investigative report conducted by the team that was dispatched by Botswana Ambassador to China, Sasara George following the ordeal.

'We expect to be briefed together with the deceased's parents tomorrow by Kilano,' he said, emphasising that the issue was very sensitive and only parents would be briefed.

The two students were found dead on January 09, 2012. A police chief in Gombak, Abdul Rahim Adullah, was quoted as saying a man who was fishing in the area found two bags and passports and went looking for the owners. It is said that he found the bodies of two students floating in the water.