Widow takes mother-in-law to court for over hubby's death

It was a sorry scene at the Gaborone High Court on Monday as a mother-in-law, Oganne Mosarwa, sat on one side of the benches, her crutches resting on her lap while her daughter-in-law, Orapeleng Mosarwa, occupied the opposite end.

The two women, once tied to each other by love for the same man, deceased Tiroyaone Mosarwa, are now bitterly divided by his death.

Orapeleng has taken legal action against the Botswana Police Services, her mother-in-law, and her two stepsons, Pako and Ofentse Mosarwa. She is seeking over P1 million in compensation.

She claims the parties defamed her character by insinuating that she had a hand in her husband’s death, a matter that became a public scandal, widely discussed in newspapers and on social media.

Her lawsuit follows the release of a post-mortem report late last year, which confirmed that Tiroyaone’s cause of death was consistent with hanging.

The report found no evidence of injuries or poison, contrary to claims that he might have been murdered.

Initially, Orapeleng’s complaint targeted the Botswana Police, accusing them of mishandling the case and enabling the false accusations.

However, on Monday, the deceased’s sons and the grandmother were added into the case and had no objections. The matter is set to continue on December 8.

-Background to the Family Feud-

The tension dates back to July 2024, when Tiroyaone Mosarwa was found dead, hanging from a tree behind the Botswana Open University in Gaborone. His death was officially ruled as suicide, but suspicion and anger quickly divided the family.

Tiroyaone’s children and his mother, Oganne, disputed the police findings, alleging that he had died under suspicious circumstances. They said his body showed signs of facial trauma, a caved-in forehead, and stitched wounds, suggesting foul play.

Acting on these suspicions, they successfully applied for a court order to exhume the body three weeks after burial for an autopsy.

In her affidavit at the time, Oganne insisted her son could not have taken his own life, describing his death as “wrapped in incomprehensible circumstances.”

She accused her daughter-in-law of rushing the burial without an autopsy and excluding the family from key decisions.

It seems the animosity between the two women runs deep as according to Oganne, Tiroyaone’s marriage to Orapeleng was plagued by conflict, separation, and property disputes.

She alleged that the couple, married in 2019, lived apart after Orapeleng allegedly expelled him from their Gabane home in 2022. He then moved to Block 6, Gaborone, where he stayed with his three children from his first marriage.

Oganne further alleged that before her son’s death, the couple had been embroiled in a bitter dispute over ownership of the Block 6 house, originally shared with his first wife, Kgomotso, who passed away in 2004.

The old lady said Orapeleng wanted ownership of the said house.

Nonetheless, Orapeleng maintained that as they were married in community of property, she was entitled to share all his assets, including the Block 6 property.

However, she was shocked to learn that her husband had already transferred ownership of that house to his children from his first marriage without her knowledge.

Ten days later, Tiroyaone went missing, and his body was later discovered, leading to the chain of events that have now brought the grieving family to court again.

And it seems the war is far from over, as Orapeleng continues to face other legal battles with members of the Mosarwa family in her ongoing fight for justice.