Mother threatens to commit suicide if police investigate boy’s dad.
Mogoditshane Police are investigating a case of a two-year-old toddler who died of severe burns after falling into a big pot of boiling malt for traditional beer brewing (Mogetlo) in Gabane last week.
The toddler was laid to rest this past Wednesday in Gaborone amid scenes of tensions of hostility between the mother and father’s warring families.
Information gathered by The Voice has suggested that the deceased toddler was at his paternal grandmother’s home in Gabane when the tragic incident happened.
On a fateful day, the toddler was left in the care of his father and his grandmother.
“His mother received a call when she was at the mall letting her know that her son was hospitalised. The young boy died a day later at Princess Marina Hospital of severe burns. He was burnt from the waist down and at the back,” a suspicious source from the mother’s side told The Voice.
The emotional family member charged that it did not make sense how the little boy tripped into the boiling traditional brew, adding that they became suspicious when the granny and the boy’s father had to be coerced by the maternal side of the family to report the matter to the police.
“We are not saying they killed him. We are saying the Police should investigate. The mother is protecting them because she is still in love with the father. I don’t know why she doesn’t want closure about what could have happened to her son,” another suspicious family member charged.
The 25-year-old mother has however refused to open an inquiry and threatened to commit suicide if her family reports her boyfriend and his family to the Police.
In a short interview with The Voice Newspaper, the young mother said, “ I don’t want any investigation yes. Accidents do happen you know. I just want to heal. I just want to get past this. This is not an easy time for me. I have just laid my son to rest.”
Meanwhile, Mogoditshane Police station commander Russ Letsebe who confirmed the incident was at pains to explain why the matter was only reported to the police five days after the toddler’s death.
“We only received the report on Tuesday. Ideally, the incident should have been reported to us as soon as it happened or when they reached the hospital. We (Police) cannot answer to anything before the matter was reported to us, we have however started with the investigation to find out what could have happened,” Letsebe said.
