Land dispute cited in Wateka's death as he failed to bury his father
The badly decomposed body of a man found inside government-owned Artificial Insemination camp at Dibete in the Kgatleng District is that of Edwin Wateka, who was reported missing on April 2, impeccable sources have told this publication.
Assistant Superintendent Boikhutso Pearl Nkele of Dibete police says they have not yet made any arrests in the case. Nkele said they were informed by people manning the camp that a human body was seen at the camp.
“The police were called around 1800hrs this past Friday and when we rushed to the scene, we found the body badly decomposed. Investigations are still ongoing to establish the identity of the man through DNA, we suspect that he is between 55 and 60 years,” she said.
She said they are still on the hunt for suspects. “I cannot say we have anything concrete right now, we are still questioning people.”
Asked about security at the camp, the police boss explained that the camp is a secure area and people who enter need to register their names at the gate. Meanwhile, The Midweek Sun has been reliably informed by impeccable sources that the man who was found dead is the missing Edwin Wateka. 'DNA tests have been completed and his family is in Mahalapye, his body is being cremated,' the source said.
The sources further revealed that they are looking for Wateka’s killers, and are interrogating people believed to be very close to the deceased. 'We have information that suggests that all was not rosy, there was a fight over a piece of land,' the source said.
A few days ago, BPS made an appeal to members of the public to assist in finding Wateka saying he was last seen on the 30th of March 2024 at Sir Seretse Khama International Airport in Gaborone and was reported missing on the 2nd of April 2024.
Wateka was born in Botswana but relocated to Holland. He is now a Dutch citizen. His body is being cremated so that the ashes can be taken to Holland.
According to information retrieved online on GofundMe, a popular online fundraising platform for any need or event, Sheila Wateka who identifies herself as Wateka’s niece, shared on the 5th of April 2024 that Wateka travelled to Botswana to bury his father.
“We raised money as a family so my uncle could go and bury his father. My uncle has travelled to Botswana where my family originally came from. He also arrived there in one piece after a 25-hour journey.
“Unfortunately, my uncle Edwin never arrived at his father's funeral. With pain in our hearts and after 8 days, we still must conclude that it seems as if my Uncle Edwin has disappeared into thin air.
“He is reported missing, and the camera footage also shows that he arrived at the airport in Gaborone. The police see him on camera as he walks out of the arrival terminal,” Sheila’s message written in Dutch reads.
She went on to plead with any willing donors to financially help Wateka’s daughter Stacey as well as his sister (Sheila’s mother) to travel to Botswana to contribute to the search. Sheila said the pain was unbearable for the family. Wateka’s father is said to have lived in Francistown, but The Midweek Sun could not independently verify this information at the time of press.