IN THE EYE OF THE STORM
Member of Parliament for Lobatse Thapelo Matsheka’s social status last night suffered a further blow when he was arrested along with Peleng East Councilor Ontiretse Mosimane Wamacha in what is widely believed to be in connection with the death of primary school pupil, 6-year-old Tlotso Karema.
The high profile arrests by the Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS) and police last night got social media talking, with many users discussing how Matsheka's reputation and social standing has drastically regressed since being dropped from his Finance ministerial position to a lower ministry of infrastructure, until he was finally booted out of cabinet by President Mokgweetsi Masisi.
The social media users expressed shock and disbelief, saying they had respected and held MP Matsheka in high regard, wondering what he could have done to find himself associated with the killing of a Standard One primary school kid. Many added that the spirit of Tlotso was refusing to rest, and that perhaps the boy's death would help unravel the many other ritual murders that have rocked the country in the past.
Although highly-placed sources associated with the security organs confirmed the arrest of the MP and councilor, Police spokesperson Near Bagali said he was in the dark about the matter, while DIS spokesperson Edward Robert also could neither deny nor confirm the arrest when reached for comment.
"My office is not in a position to confirm whether or not the person or persons you are referring to are helping us with our investigations. The only confirmation I can make is to the fact that following the commitment by law enforcement agencies during a kgotla meeting in Lobatse to go all out in unravelling the circumstance around the death of a young child in Lobatse Tlotso Karema, we have not gone back on that undertaking.
We continued to interact with a number of people. We are currently interacting with some prominent persons who are helping us with our investigations on the matter. We want to appeal to the public to continue trusting our investigators and share any information they may have which can assist our efforts. Let us continue to allow the due process of the law to take its course," the DIS spokesperson told The Midweek Sun.
Other people arrested in connection with Tlotso's murder are Nono Karema, the sister to Tlotso's mother, as well as councilor Wamacha's business partner identified as Thuso Mantsi. The four all spent the night in police custody while they are being questioned. In a recent kgotla meeting, the DIS jointly addressing the angry residents of Lobatse promised to leave no stone unturned in finding not just the killers of
Tlotso but also those behind his death, reported to have happened in March this year.
The police had reportedly discovered bones along the Kanye road in April which upon forensic examination were declared to belong to Tlotso. Currently, the police have in custody Zimbabwean man Lovemore
Sithole who allegedly confessed to killing Tlotso. At the tme of his arrest, Sithole was the boyfrend of Tlotlo’s mother. He had all along been playing the role of a supportive partner to the grieving Tlotso’s mother.
As for Matsheka, the MP, he had been at the forefront calming the situation when residents of Lobatse rioted accusing the police of not doing enough to find the missing Tlotso. Matsheka even pleaded with the residents not to do any harm to Lovemore in case he is released on bail.
Many social media users were last night saying even if the public wakes up to hear that the MP has been released and cleared of any wrong-doing, the damage on his reputation is irreversible. Some were even calling for primary elections already, believing the MP may be forced to resign in order to clear his name without the burden of office.
The high profile arrests by the Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS) and police last night got social media talking, with many users discussing how Matsheka's reputation and social standing has drastically regressed since being dropped from his Finance ministerial position to a lower ministry of infrastructure, until he was finally booted out of cabinet by President Mokgweetsi Masisi.
The social media users expressed shock and disbelief, saying they had respected and held MP Matsheka in high regard, wondering what he could have done to find himself associated with the killing of a Standard One primary school kid. Many added that the spirit of Tlotso was refusing to rest, and that perhaps the boy's death would help unravel the many other ritual murders that have rocked the country in the past.
Although highly-placed sources associated with the security organs confirmed the arrest of the MP and councilor, Police spokesperson Near Bagali said he was in the dark about the matter, while DIS spokesperson Edward Robert also could neither deny nor confirm the arrest when reached for comment.
"My office is not in a position to confirm whether or not the person or persons you are referring to are helping us with our investigations. The only confirmation I can make is to the fact that following the commitment by law enforcement agencies during a kgotla meeting in Lobatse to go all out in unravelling the circumstance around the death of a young child in Lobatse Tlotso Karema, we have not gone back on that undertaking.
We continued to interact with a number of people. We are currently interacting with some prominent persons who are helping us with our investigations on the matter. We want to appeal to the public to continue trusting our investigators and share any information they may have which can assist our efforts. Let us continue to allow the due process of the law to take its course," the DIS spokesperson told The Midweek Sun.
Other people arrested in connection with Tlotso's murder are Nono Karema, the sister to Tlotso's mother, as well as councilor Wamacha's business partner identified as Thuso Mantsi. The four all spent the night in police custody while they are being questioned. In a recent kgotla meeting, the DIS jointly addressing the angry residents of Lobatse promised to leave no stone unturned in finding not just the killers of
Tlotso but also those behind his death, reported to have happened in March this year.
The police had reportedly discovered bones along the Kanye road in April which upon forensic examination were declared to belong to Tlotso. Currently, the police have in custody Zimbabwean man Lovemore
Sithole who allegedly confessed to killing Tlotso. At the tme of his arrest, Sithole was the boyfrend of Tlotlo’s mother. He had all along been playing the role of a supportive partner to the grieving Tlotso’s mother.
As for Matsheka, the MP, he had been at the forefront calming the situation when residents of Lobatse rioted accusing the police of not doing enough to find the missing Tlotso. Matsheka even pleaded with the residents not to do any harm to Lovemore in case he is released on bail.
Many social media users were last night saying even if the public wakes up to hear that the MP has been released and cleared of any wrong-doing, the damage on his reputation is irreversible. Some were even calling for primary elections already, believing the MP may be forced to resign in order to clear his name without the burden of office.
