- President Masisi recently undertook to get to the bottom of what happened to Motswaledi
- But police have dismissed persistent suspicion of foul play in 2014 death of the BMD leader
GAZETTE REPORTER
President Mokgweetsi Masisi’s recent statement that he is determined to uncover the mystery surrounding the untimely death of Gomolemo Motswaledi in July 2014 is exercising the minds of the family of the late president of the Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD).
“We want to see what killed Motswaledi,” President Masisi said in Parliament. “It’s not over. Motswaledi’s case is not over. I can promise you, the truth will come out. We will dig it out to the very end. It will come out.”
Mysterious car accident
Motswaledi’s death in a mysterious car accident sparked widespread suspicion of foul play but investigations yielded no definitive answers regarding the circumstances of his demise.
Contacted after the President’s express undertaking, Motswaledi’s brother, Gape, said the President caught the family by surprise.
“We do not have a comment on what the President said yet,” he added. “It is a matter that we are currently discussing as a family because we just heard what the President said.”
Only now?
Many subsequently took to social media to criticise the President, linking his undertaking to the ‘silly season’ of electioneering.
They said it was shocking that Masisi was Khama’s vice president and has been president for almost five years but is only now making such an undertaking.
Following Motswaledi’s death in July 2014, Botswana Police Service issued a press statement saying their investigations had revealed that there was no foul play in Motswaledi’s death.
Near Pitshane
“On the 30th July 2014, a fatal road accident which claimed the life of Mr Gomolemo Motswaledi along the A1 road near Pitshane Village was reported to the police.
“The police immediately embarked on the investigations to determine the cause of the accident and the resultant death of Mr Motswaledi. These investigations have since been completed and the family of the deceased have been informed of the findings.
“It is not common practice for the Botswana’s Police Service to publicise the findings of police investigations of this nature, but for speculations and innuendos made by some commentators in the mainstream media and social media regarding this accident, we have found it necessary to make public the result of this particular investigation.
No foul play
“The investigations reveal that Mr Motswaledi’s death was the result of a road accident not induced by any foul play.
“We would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who assisted and cooperated during the investigations. Their continued support of the police in the execution of their mandate is highly appreciated.”