HORRIFIC SIGHT
The dead body of former soldier John Boitumelo fell out of its coffin after a tyre burst caused the hearse transporting his body to roll over some 20km away from Letlhakane village in the Boteti area last week.
According to sources close to the matter, the corpse was being transported to Letlhakane on Thursday morning for burial scheduled for this past Saturday when the accident happened.
To the shock of Botswana Defence Force (BDF) members and Boitumelo’s family who were driving behind the hearse, the vehicle never made it to its final destination despite moderate speed.
When the hearse rolled over, it spat out the coffin and when the coffin hit the ground, it crashed to pieces leading to the corpse falling out and was left exposed.
“It was a very horrifying sight to see his dead body all covered in dirt soil. It was terrifying. The family was equally shocked at what had just happened. The hearse belonged to BDF and the two soldiers that were in it were rushed to the hospital because they had sustained minor injuries,” the source said.
Confirming the accident, Police spokesperson Near Bagali said the accident occurred around 10 o’clock. Although he was not comfortable sharing details of what had really transpired, Bagali noted that they received a report that the vehicle tyre had burst leading to the unfortunate accident and that the driver escaped with minor injuries.
“We cannot really say much at this point because investigations are still ongoing,” he said.
When reached this week Kgosi Baruntshi Kegapetswe of Letlhakane said he does not have full details on the matter but has heard rumours spreading around.
“I was not available this weekend but I heard allegations flying around, some were saying a coffin will be buried without a body and all sorts of things. But I have heard that burial did go ahead on Saturday. Hopefully sometime this week, I will have received full details,” the Kgosi said. Councillor Ngongorego Motswaiso of Mokgobelele ward had been attending memorial service at the deceased's homestead and that is where she picked the devastating news.
"It is a very painful period for the family, the matter is still fresh," she said.