HORROR DEATH BY JILTED LOVER
When a Kanye woman, Lesego Dikole, went missing on April 19, her family immediately concluded that her ex-boyfriend Patrick Ramoswaane, knew something about her disappearance. It was an instinct emanating from the knowledge of the bitterness in the man who had been dumped by their daughter. Dikole and Ramoswaane had been dating for less than a year.
Only in 2014 had 41-year old Dikole lost her husband, and last year, she began normal love life again, believing that in 42-year old Ramoswaane, she had found true love. But within a short time, he started abusing her both physically and emotionally.
Residents of Kanye are still reeling in shock after Dikole’s decomposed body was found in the deep bushes of Lodubeng ward, opposite Ramoswaane’s house, on May 3. She had been killed weeks before. At the time he allegedly killed her, he was on bail after having threatened to stab her with a knife in January this year.
Dikole’s uncle, Terebe Ratsawe, said that Ramoswaane did not take their break-up well and wanted to do anything to get her attention. On April 17, he phoned her and invited her for a meal at his house, which invitation she declined.
The following day, he called her to come and get P1 500 to buy clothes for her children, which she also refused. “He persisted in calling her to come and get the money, and ultimately she gave in and went to his house that evening,” said the uncle, revealing that on that same day, Dikole had gone to the hospital to pray for the sick with her Christian friends, who told them that Ramoswaane repeatedly called her to come and get money until she agreed. She had four children from her marriage. SuspicionsWhen her phone rang unanswered that night, her family started getting worried. Two weeks would later pass with no sign of Dikole, until her phone went off. Her sister Amogelang Ratsawe said that on April 28, she sent Ramoswaane a ‘Please-call-back’ message on his phone and he told her that Dikole was at her Moshaneng home. Her brother Lemisang Ratsawe said that when he called Ramoswaane on April 29, he told him that he had found Dikole a job in Jwaneng and that she was there working. “But when I went to his house, he could not face me in the eye,” he said, adding that he would later go and report his sister missing at Sejelo Police Station. On May 2, the family of Dikole went to her Moshaneng house, but still there were no signs that she had been there. “We told the police our suspicions that Patrick knew where she was and they detained him,” he said. Their suspicions were confirmed the next day when after being tortured by the police, he admitted to having killed her and buried her, said the brother. ‘Our sister buried like a dog’It was around May 3, at 7pm when Ramoswaane led the police and Dikole’s family to where he had buried her. The Sun team visited the horror place which still had remains of Dikole’s braided hair, stench and blood-stained soil and rocks. “We buried her around 10pm in a rush-rush situation. We didn’t even have money. We raised P2 800 that night to buy her a coffin since the mortuary guys could not assist us for free,” said the uncle to the deceased. He told The Midweek Sun that the police had not updated them on their investigations. “We want Dikole’s handbag and all the documents that were inside. It had her children’s Social Services coupons, and right now they cannot get assistance without them,” he said, lamenting that his niece was buried like a dog. Family members described Ramoswaane as abusive, stubborn and intimidating and Dikole as a woman who loved praying for the sick and looking after her children. “He lured her with money because he knew that she was struggling to raise her children,” said the uncle. Official responseSejelo Police Station Commander Superintendent Sello Ntwaagae confirmed the incident. He said that they had detained the suspect for the death of a woman found buried at Lodubeng bushes. He revealed that the man appeared before Kanye Magistrate Court last Friday and that he will appear again on May 29. If found guilty, Supt. Ntwaagae said the suspect could be sent for life imprisonment. He said the suspect also has a threat to kill case. Supt. Ntwaagae was not aware that Ramoswaane had a pending murder case, in which he is accused of killing his other former girlfriend less than five years ago in his home village, Charlesshill.
The Midweek Sun has established that he killed the woman when she told him she wanted a break-up. He then relocated to Kanye where he has been working as a builder until he committed the crime. Meanwhile, Supt. Ntwaagae said that the village had many threat to kill cases and that others were pending. He advised couples to seek counselling when having misunderstandings. “Don’t take matters into your own hands,” he said.