A youth accused of the brutal murder of his young sister in an incident that stunned Maun two years ago insists he is completely innocent, pointing the finger of blame at his father instead.
On Sunday 4th September 2022, Ogona Tlhabologang, 23, is said to have hacked his 12-year-old sister, Lesego Thabologang to death in her sleep, cutting her in the head with a hoe at their family home in Sedie ward.
After killing her, he reportedly carried her body outside, dumped it in a nearby pit and set her corpse on fire, burning the little girl along with her schoolbooks.
Although he reportedly confessed at the time, appearing in court last week, Ogona claimed it was his father, 40-year-old Lemponye Moitsheki, who committed the crime and should be standing trial for murder.
“He told me that I have killed a person. He came to me asking for her head when I knew nothing about it. When he told me those things, it was just the two of us,” testified the suspected killer before a packed Maun Magistrates Court.
His claims follow a psychiatric evaluation, which concluded that Ogona suffers from a personality disorder, exacerbated by substance abuse, which makes him prone to violent outbursts.
In a previous interview with The Voice, Moitsheki [Ogona’s dad] revealed he was 250 kilometers away in Gumare with the children’s mother when the tragedy occurred.
The grieving father recalled how his son had recently returned home from Boro and, on the fateful day, asked Lesego to stay in the same hut as him and not with their heavily pregnant older sister.
The next morning, the older sibling called Moitsheki in a panic, informing him that Lesego was missing.
“She told me Lesego had spent the night with their brother, but when she went to wake her up for school, the brother lied that she had already left,” he said.
Growing more concerned, the older sister went to Lesego’s school, Mathiba Memorial Primary, where teachers confirmed that she never arrived.
Fearing the worst, Moitsheki rushed back to Maun, and a search for the missing girl began.
The following day, in a shallow pit near their home, Lesego’s charred remains were found by her devastated dad.
“Whilst searching the bush for my little girl, I was alerted to a shallow pit by her burnt blouse. I suspected there could be something there. When I looked closer, I saw a body burnt beyond recognition. It was only the torso remaining; the rest was ashes,” he told The Voice at the time, adding Ogona had a history of drug use, specifically dagga.
According to Moitsheki, this sometimes caused his son to behave aggressively, even threatening his mother. After one such incident, the family reported him to local authorities, and he was publicly reprimanded in front of the Kgotla.
“He is one of those boys who smoke marijuana; maybe it impaired his thinking, and he ended up doing the unthinkable,” said Moitsheki, adding it was even more painful and impossible to understand as Lesego adored her big brother.
As the court case progresses, Ogona’s unexpected outburst adds another layer of complexity to an already heartbreaking case.
The prosecution has not commented on the accusation, and it remains to be seen how this new claim will impact the ongoing investigation.
The family, still reeling from the tragic loss of Lesego two years on, has expressed no desire to reconcile with Ogona.
The matter is yet to be committed to the High Court for trial, with Ogona, who has been remanded ever since his initial arrest, set to appear on Thursday 19 September for status update.
