The cause of death of a 30- year-old man who was allegedly battered to death by police three months ago has been established to be a swollen brain, a post mortem has revealed.
At the time of the incident, police had said that the young man, Keolopile Morolong had swallowed illegal drugs as a panic reaction to a spot search at a roadblock and suggested that could have been what killed him.
However this week the family spokesperson, and attorney, Charles Tlagae said that the report indicates that Morolong had not consumed any toxin or drugs at the time of his demise, but was instead battered to death.
Tlagae, who is in the process of filing a lawsuit against the police for Morolong’s death categorically stated that objects or exhibits obtained from Morolong’s stomach and examined did not contain any poisonous substances or habit controlling drugs.
“No foreign matters or disease were noted and this excludes allegations that he had swallowed a sachet of drugs as alleged by the police.”
Morolong died in a brawl with the police on November 3rd, 2022, in full view of eyewitnesses at Setata veterinary gate in Sehithwa-Gumare road in the North West district.
Cops brutalised him after he allegedly resisted being searched during a routine stop and search exercise.
The police, through their public relations office then explained that when police were about to search Morolong he quickly swallowed a sachet and immediately started convulsing and collapsed on the spot and so he was rushed to a health centre where he was certified dead on arrival.
On the contrary, his family maintained that Morolong was murdered and his friends who were with him made written eye witnesses statements on how Morolong was beaten to death by four police officers, three males and a female.
“The police should not rush to conclusions and make statements before investigating issues. They have cast aspersions on the conduct of the deceased person and yet the report is stating otherwise,” added Tlagae.
Without confirming when they will file the lawsuit, Tlagae explained that, “Without a doubt, murder has been executed, Morolong did not die from taking drugs but was battered to death by the police, people watched, screamed and pleaded with them to stop, but they did not.”
Asked to comment on the new development in the case, Botswana Police Service spokesperson, Dipheko Motube noted that he could not go int details of the postmortem report, as it is a confidential document and because investigations have not yet concluded.
“You will recall that at the time the police explained that during the scuffle with the police he (Morolong) swallowed a sachet that was believed to be drugs and later vomited it out,” Motube further said in a new spin to the case, which this reporter did not recall at all.
