On Tuesday, President Duma Boko announced that the government would honour Gaoberekwe's wishes by burying him in the CKGR, specifically in Metsiamanong, on December 10, 2024. This decision comes after a prolonged and contentious battle between his family and the government over his burial site, the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR). Gaoberekwe passed away on December 21, 2021, after being transported to New Xade for medical assistance following a critical illness. Following his death, the government argued that his relocation to New Xhade made it an appropriate burial site. However, his family strongly opposed this, insisting on honouring Gaoberekwe's wish to be buried in CKGR. This disagreement complicated burial arrangements for years. By early 2023, the family had publicly declared their decision to move on with their lives, stating that they would not participate in any government-led burial arrangements.
Speaking to Mmegi, the family spokesperson expressed their frustration, feeling undermined as a minority Basarwa group and disheartened by their repeated legal losses. Adding to their burden, mounting mortuary bills had reached thousands of pula, exacerbating their struggles. However, under the new administration, there is now a resolution. The government also committed to covering all the associated costs. This announcement was widely celebrated on social media, giving the family a sense of relief after years of anguish. With only two weeks left before Gaoberekwe would mark three years in the mortuary, family spokesperson, Smith Moeti, confirmed on Tuesday that funeral arrangements were underway. “We visited the mortuary today to view the body of Pitseng Gaoberekwe. As expected, the body is not in good condition after such a long time, but it remains in the mortuary,” Moeti stated. The mortuary owner, Joyce Dekop, also informed the family of a recent break-in, which had caused damage to the ceiling. This incident was the third of its kind, raising concerns about potential attempts to steal Gaoberekwe's body. Moeti thanked Dekop for her diligence in safeguarding the body over the years despite the challenges.
As the funeral date approaches, the family is hopeful that this chapter of struggle and grief will finally come to an end, allowing Gaoberekwe to rest in peace at his rightful home. Gaoberekwe’s corpse has been lying in a private mortuary for the past 18 months, clocking a bill of over P200,000, this is the bill which was recorded by August 2023. The local authorities have been denying the family a permit to bury their father who died in the CKGR. They wanted to bury their father, Pitseng, in the CKGR as per his wish. After losing at Botswana’s apex court, the family appealed for legal assistance to take the government of Botswana to an African court. Mmegi has since learnt from the family that the African Commission would instead entertain an official complaint against the government. “Our attorneys have been helping us on the matter. I hope they are writing to the African Commission as per the advice we got. We have since been told to lodge a complaint, not a case as we had thought. What we want is for this matter to be heard fairly. Our bill at the mortuary has not exceeded P300, 000 as other people speculate. We went to the mortuary at the end of June 2023,” the family spokesperson Moeti had said in an interview.
He said the family cannot go against the will of the deceased since it is a taboo in their culture and they could end being cursed by their ancestors. He continued: “The corpse is still at the mortuary and we do not know what to do. We have since said the government is free to bury him if it wants to but that has not happened.” He said they will not rest until they get justice and felt they are being undermined because of their tribe status. The family spokesperson had maintained that the deceased did not have any home apart from the CKGR. The family wants the government to allow it to bury their father in the CKGR. Gaoberekwe’s body has been lying at the Joyce Funeral Parlour in Gantsi. In 2022, the family was planning to appeal its case at the International Criminal Court of Justice but could not do so due to financial challenges. That was hardly after the Court of Appeal (CoA) had dismissed their case. The CoA had given the family seven days to bury the deceased and allowed them to bury him in any place of their choice apart from the CKGR. At some point, the family claimed that it was impossible to bury the deceased within the given seven days as per the court decision but later after a family meeting, it was resolved that they would not take part in his burial.
