Murder most strange

Deceased: Warricious Bhunu

A seventh day Adventist church pastor based in Francistown, Pelonomi Marvin Radihephi, has allegedly killed a commercial sex worker in Sanyedi ward in Maun following a night of passion.

The 36-year-old married “man of God” is said to have solicited sex services from 48-year-old Zimbabwean woman, Warricious Bhunu, two days before Christmas Day when he was visiting his home village, Maun.

The woman was found dead in her house located along a street commonly known as Harare in Sanyedi ward the next morning, the police have confirmed.

“The accused person, Pelonomi Marvin Radihephi, on the 24th December 2022, at Sanyedi ward in Maun, in the North West Administration of the Republic of Botswana, murdered Warricious Bhunu,” reads the charge sheet.

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This is what is said to have happened that fateful Friday before Christmas. The pastor allegedly travelled from Francistown where he resides with his wife, met a woman friend in Maun and they spent most of the day together. Later on, he is said to have dropped the woman off, but she allowed him to use her car, a VW,” explained a close source.

The source further explained that, “It appears the pastor then went to spend a night with a sex worker at her rented room as the same car was spotted parked outside the house.”

It was seemingly a normal morning as other tenants were going about their morning chores, others doing laundry and some sweeping when Radihephi allegedly emerged from the room and sat on the car on Christmas eve, which was on a Sabbath.

Allegedly nobody paid much attention until around six o’clock when one of Bhunu’s friends came around to check on her.

She allegedly greeted Radihephi, whose vehicle was parked right in front of Bhunu’s doorstep, and asked him if the woman was in.

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“She asked him where the woman who lived in that room was and he told her she was inside. She then knocked at the door before going in,” explained one of the witnesses who preferred anonymity.

Murder most strange
The Alleged Killer: Pastor Pelonomi Marvin Radihephi

The eye witness, who stays in the neighbourhood of the sex worker, added that she was one of the people that came rushing to the scene when the sex worker’s lady friend who found her dead screamed for help.

Bhunu was allegedly lying naked and motionless on the floor and besides her were some used condoms.

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Meanwhile, Radihephi, who was said to have been sitting in the parked car, is said to have sped off, but not before eyewitnesses had noted down the car registration numbers.

The matter was then reported to the police and the car owner tracked down. She is said to have told the police that she had lent the vehicle to pastor Radihephi, who was later arrested while in possession of the same car.

He has since been arraigned before Maun Magistrates’ Court and was this week, Tuesday, given bail pending completion of investigation into the matter.

Radihephi is expected to report every two weeks at a Francistown Police Station.

He is represented by a local attorney, Charles Tlagae, in this matter and he has not yet made any plea to the charge.

Police await DNA and post-mortem results, which will guide Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) on how to proceed with the case.

Bhunu was last week laid to rest in her home country, Zimbabwe.

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