DADDY’S DEADLY BETRAYAL
Celebrated by Christians the world over as a time of joy and celebration, for a grieving family from Chadibe, Easter Monday will forever be remembered as a day of death and devastation.
It was the day two-year-old Sasa Santu and her big sister, Koketso, four, were murdered.
It is suspected their father, Keabetswe Tony Nyambe, strangled them to death, squeezing the life out of his little girls after a fall-out with their mother, Mbabiwabo Santu.
Nyambe, 28, himself met a grisly end, allegedly found dead in police cells on Tuesday morning having reportedly swallowed a potent cocktail of brake fluid and ARV pills. It is rumoured he was naked, apparently ripping off his clothes as the toxic potion devoured him from inside.
According to a close relative of Mbabiwabo, 27, the trouble started the previous night during the ‘Super Sunday with Franco’ music festival at Nyangabgwe Hill in Francistown.
Mbabiwabo was selling hot dogs at the event, when Nyambe confronted his ex and an argument ensued.
“It was over six months since they stopped dating. I don’t know what Tony was angry about,” said the family member, who did not want to be named.
It seems Nyambe, a taxi-driver in Ghetto, then sped away in his Honda Fit, almost crashing into a spectator in his haste to depart.
He drove straight to Chadibe, some 25km away, where his children were sound asleep at their grandmother’s house. It was around 4am.
Much to the old woman’s bemusement and ignoring her questions, Nyambe is said to have woken his girls and ordered them to get into the car.
He returned five hours later.
“Immediately when he stopped the car he burst into tears, getting inside the house. The old woman ran to the car to dress the children, as it was cold.”
She was met with their lifeless bodies.
“Their legs and hands had turned white in colour,” disclosed the source quietly.
In the commotion, as the granny screamed for help, Nyambe fled through the back door but was apprehended by neighbours as he desperately tried to jump the screen wall.
While waiting for the police, a tearful Nyambe allegedly confessed to strangling his babies.
“He also stated that he drank brake fluid and ARV’s full in a bottle. The following day, we were told he was found dead in the police cells naked, his prone body naked on the cold floor. We do not know whether he removed his clothes when the substance that he drank was burning him or what,” continued the relative, shaking her head as she struggles to comprehend the tragedy that has befallen her family.
“We are talking about two innocent souls that lost their lives. The family is shocked to the core,” she concluded.
Understandably, Mbabiwabo, who is originally from Shashemooke, was in no state to talk to the media.
Both families asked to be left to grieve in peace and were unwilling to give an official comment.
Meanwhile, Tatitown Station Commander, Boipuso Baatweng, whose officers attended the scene, confirmed they were investigating a case in which a man allegedly killed his two children.
“We got the report from Chadibe Police Post around 11am that there are kids suspected to be dead in the car. We then arrested a 28-year-old man who happens to be the children’s father. In an interview with the father, he indicated he had a misunderstanding with his ex-girlfriend. For now, we do not know how the children died as we are awaiting postmortem.
“We hear the father is no longer alive but I cannot verify that one because it did not happen in my jurisdiction,” said Baatweng, adding the suspect had been detained at Central Police Station cells.
Although he confirmed the suspect was indeed dead, Central Police Station Commander, Lebalang Maniki stressed he could not say any more as investigations were on-going.