DAD MOURNS SON KILLED IN PHASE 2 SHOOTOUT
A week after 10 suspected armed robbers were killed inside a house in Gaborone, congratulatory messages for the cops continue to pour in from a nation reeling from violent crime.
However a visit to the scene on Wednesday revealed bullet holes on the roof and crime scene barricade markers as the only signs of the Phase two shoot out in a suburb that has returned to normal.
But not everyone has moved on so fast.
In fact the mourning family of one of the 10 killed alleged robbers, Bafana Bafana Sebetlela Mlangeni, is far from moving on as they prepare to launch a lawsuit against the government for killing their innocent son.
When The Voice team arrived at the funeral house in Mogoditshane, some family members had gone out to conduct a postmortem whilst a few remained behind to continue with funeral arrangements. Mlangeni’s body was still in police custody on Wednesday.
In an exclusive interview Mlangeni’s father, Gilbert Mosekgwa talked about how he was confident that his only son died because he was at the wrong place at the wrong time.
The 40-year-old Mlangeni was suspected to have been part of a gang that allegedly attacked and robbed Security Systems Cash-in-transit motor vehicle of over P986 000 in Main Mall on February 23rd.
The robbers fled the scene and were later on confronted by the police and an exchange of fire ensued resulting in fatal injuries. The only surviving suspect Tsaone Tshegofatso Reboeleng was arraigned before Extension II Magistrate this Monday facing one count of armed robbery.
However Mlangeni’s father is adamant that his son was not a thief and has never been involved in robbery.
“ My son was not even there on the footage of the robbery that we saw on social media. We do not understand why the police shot everyone who was there and the lady escaped. This is very painful and the family is left with many questions without answers. We are waiting to finish the funeral proceedings then we sue the government,” said Mosekgwa
The grieving old man however readily admits that his son’s criminality was selling Marijuana.
“The last person to see him told us that he had received a call from some guys in Phase 2 and he was going to deliver a dagga order. It happened that he was found at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Narrating how they learnt of his son’s demise, Mosekgwa said their neighbour who had seen pictures of dead alleged robbers on social media and recognized the shirt Mlangeni was wearing earlier that day alerted them.
The distraught father said they tried calling but his phone was off until they went to confirm at the police station.
They were sent back and told to come back the following day on Thursday and that was when they went to identify his body at Pule Mortuary.
Other suspected robbers who died in the shoot out are Khumo Sakarea aged 38 from Serowe, Phenyo Leso 33 from Tonota, Akofang Kgololo 32 from Kanye, Boyboy Masimolole 36 from Mogoditshane and five others from South Africa whose names have not yet been revealed.