In what appears to be yet another crime of love gone sour, a woman from Bokaa in the Kgatleng District was last week murdered and then her body dumped into a septic tank.
The deceased’s family and the Village Councilor are accusing the police of negligence and dereliction of duty.
Detective Superintendent Phenyoitsele Nnanawakoko of Mochudi Police Station confirmed that his office is investigating a case in which a woman was last week murdered and thrown into a septic tank.
A middle aged man, Ipuseng Leabua Matlhape, 36, also from Bokaa Village is in police custody, to help police in their investigations.
Nnanawakoko said the suspect is believed to be a boyfriend.
He added that the police established that Matlhape accused his girlfriend of involvement in a secret love affair with another man.
Superintendent Nnanawakoko said the suspect who has been charged with murder appeared before the Mochudi Magistrate Court last Friday. He has been remanded in custody pending further investigations.
Nnanawakoko added that a post mortem was conducted and the body was handed over to the parents for burial.
“Since the beginning of this year, seven people have been murdered in what appears to be mostly passion killing related incidents,” he said.
Nnanawakoko appealed to the public to seek help from the relevant people if they have problems with their relationships.
Mmusang Bodika, the deceased’s uncle, told The Telegraph that his niece had two kids with the suspect.
He said the two’s relationship seemed to have been going through a rough patch.
Bodika said it all started on Monday evening when the deceased did not sleep at home that night. After a fruitless search for her, they decided to report to the police early the next morning.
“It hurt so much when the police failed to turn up in time and only arrived very late in the afternoon while they were informed early in the morning,” he said.
Bodika said both the search team and the police went to the house where both the deceased and the suspect worked but the suspect denied seeing the deceased before her disappearance.
He added that when they opened the septic tank, they found the deceased floating and her body was removed and rushed to the hospital where she was certified dead.
Bodika said the suspect has a history of violence against the deceased.
Meanwhile the village councilor, Gerald Bodika, expressed his disappointment about the way in which the case was handled by the police.
“If they had acted promptly, may be they could have found the deceased still alive; this is gross negligence by the police,” he said, adding that he will arrange to meet with the police boss in Mochudi to express his disappointment.
Early this year in Boseja Ward in Mochudi, a middle-aged woman was found in a pool of blood, with her heart removed.
