Police in Tonota have ruled out any possibility of foul play in the case of two fishermen who drowned in the Maeroro River in Mandunyane a fortnight ago.
The lifeless bodies of Kabo Tapela, 29, and his 23-year-old cousin, Tshephang Samuel were retrieved from the river’s murky waters on 7 September after an extensive four-day search.
The two ‘trawlers’ were laid to rest in their home village last Saturday. Soon after their burial, allegations that this was much more than a tragic accident started to spread.
Sinister murmurs of ritual killings were whispered by faceless people in the village, with the rumours quickly making their way onto social media.
There were claims the two fishermen were found without tongues, their eyes gorged out for ritualistic, muti purposes.
Insisting such talk was utter nonsense, Tonota Police Officer in Charge Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Karabo Kgaodi assured The Voice their investigations were complete and they had found no evidence to suggest any foul play.
“It was an unfortunate incident. The two drowned,” said the top cop, adding there were no eye-witnesses to the drowning as the two were reported missing at midnight.
“It was already dark so the search only started the next morning [Wednesday 4 September],” explained Kgaodi.
The CID boss revealed their inquiries have shown that Tapela, a seasoned fisherman and a good swimmer, had been frequenting the area with Samuel for a couple of days prior to the accident.
They had planned to rinse their fishing nets, but were discouraged by bad weather.
“On the day they drowned, they invited one of their fishing buddies who turned down the invitation and warned them the weather was too bad for any fishing. The two, however, proceeded to the river and that was the last time they were found dead,” he said.
After four days of raking the river, a wide stretch of water that flows into Shashe Dam, the police finally found the first body, floating in the middle of the river.
Roughly 50 metres further away, they discovered the second corpse.
“People get impatient with scuba divers when they don’t come out with the bodies. What they don’t realise is that the raking of the river with these motor boats is necessary, and if bodies are stuck at the bottom it may help to dislodge them. I’m convinced that is why we were able to find the bodies on Saturday,” added Kgaodi.
The Voice sought a comment from the deceased’s family who declined the request, stating they will no longer be taking any interviews.
Tapela and Samuel were using a patched-up airbed which capsized in the middle of the river.
Their clothes were found by the river bank, while the inflatable mattress was also retrieved from Maeroro River.
