Hitchhiking costs BIUST student her life

ILLUSTRATION: Woman hitchhicking
ILLUSTRATION: Woman hitchhicking

Palapye Police are investigating an incident in which a 22-year-old Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST) female student died from injuries sustained following a journey by hitchhiking gone wrong.

The learner lost her life on March 3 at Princess Marina Hospital where she was hospitalised after she was assaulted by a man who had given her a lift from Gaborone to Palapye recently. According to the police, the driver had demanded sex from the passenger but when she spurned his advances it is alleged he hit her with an object on the head and she collapsed. The suspect who was in the company of his girlfriend, who had blacked out in the car following a drinking spree on the trip, then drove off leaving the young woman near death.

Palapye Police Station commander, Superintendent Molly Lebala-Moduke said the deceased met her fate after hitchhiking from Gaborone to Palapye on March 1. “The deceased had hitched a ride from a bus stop near Airport Junction Mall in Gaborone to Palapye and was given a lift by a 35-year-old man of Mahalapye who was in the company of his girlfriend and two passengers who dropped off on the way,” she told The Monitor. “It is alleged that on the way the suspect claimed that his car had a mechanical fault, parked by the roadside, and later demanded sex from the young woman, but when she declined his advances he assaulted and left her almost dead.”

Editor's Comment
Inspect the voters' roll!

The recent disclosure by the IEC that 2,513 registrations have been turned down due to various irregularities should prompt all Batswana to meticulously review the voters' rolls and address concerns about rejected registrations.The disparities flagged by the IEC are troubling and emphasise the significance of rigorous voter registration processes.Out of the rejected registrations, 29 individuals were disqualified due to non-existent Omang...

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