Death and prison have robbed the Ngwabi family-of-two of their loved ones in the period of one miserable week.
Hours after his mother’s body was laid to the ground in Matsiloje on Saturday, 45-year-old Oduetse Ngwabi was whisked away by the cops after allegedly threatening to kill his sister in a row over funeral policy money.
The unemployed suspect of Bothaba ward reportedly warned his sibling, “Letsatsi le ga le kake la phirima, ke tsile go go bolaya gotlhe le bana ba gago (it will not be sunset before I kill you and your children).”
With emotions already frayed, it seems things got heated when the family returned from the cemetery and Ngwabi demanded the cash he had popped out to help pay for the funeral policy.
The policy was reportedly opened by the sister, who asked her brother and mother to help pay so it did not elapse. The accused is said to have contributed for a few months.
When Ngwabi started making threatening noises in the yard, his grieving family phoned the police, who subsequently came and arrested him.
During his short arraignment before Francistown Magistrates’ Court on Monday, Prosecutor, Janet Mothowakgosi, asked for the suspect to be incarcerated to give them time to wrap up their investigations.
“The accused has other pending matters before Court 3. And we are still to collect the statements from the possible witnesses,” mentioned Mothowakgosi, who did not say what the ‘pending matters’ involved.
Given the chance to address court, Ngwabi maintained his innocence, insisting he never uttered such words against his sister.
He begged to be allowed to go home, but was unsuccessful in his plea, with court remanding him in custody until his next mention, set for 21st March.