Ex-convict making amends amid Russian death threats
Last Thursday, under chilly weather that signaled the arrival of winter, The Voice team travelled to Bangwaketse Main Kgotla in Kanye for a Mophato Committee press briefing.
The event was to unpack plans for the 1996 – 2000 Mophato cohort ahead of their camp at the weekend.
Among the motivational speakers lined-up was ex-convict Kgosi Pelekekae, a young man from Nyorosi ward whose colourful life story captured the attention of this publication.
Speaking on the sidelines, the Kanye native revealed he lives in fear for his life, having recently returned from Russia, where he was unwittingly drafted into their war against Ukraine.
Trouble has a way of finding the 25-year-old; usually it’s of his own doing!
As a child, he was written off for his wayward ways, wrongdoing which started early in life and became steadily worse.
“I grew up as a thief,” he admits, revealing his criminal activities began when he was just 12 years old.
He started small, pinching cell phones, later escalating to stealing cars, committing robberies at shops and dealing with drugs.
Inevitably, the long arm of the law eventually caught up with Pelekekae. He has served several stints in prison cells, both locally and in South Africa, where he spent three years locked up in a Correctional Service for robbing Indian-owned shops in Mafikeng.
Released on 15 March 2025, he returned to Botswana determined to go legit and start again, egged on by the previous pain of incarceration.
“I have realised that following the criminal route is a waste of time and brings no good results, it robs you of your freedom even. I looked at my 25 years of life and saw that there is nothing I have done for myself that I can show tomorrow. So I decided to be a responsible man who can be able to motivate others,” explained the good-looking youth.
Shortly after resolving to change his life and find work, Pelekekae’s life was once again plunged into chaos. For once, it wasn’t his fault!
“A friend of mine, Kabo Ntesang, told me that there is a good job opportunity in Russia, and that he would link me with agents to assist me to get there,” he said, the power of hindsight causing him to shake his head at his naivety.
“Little did I know that I had been trafficked,” he adds quietly, as if still not quite able to believe it himself.
Pelekekae left for Eastern Europe on 8 December, with a return flight booked for two weeks later.
“When I got there, I observed everything, the operations. There was a first group that left me to be taken to Ukraine, then the second and third groups. We stayed two days in Saint Petersburg before going to Surgut for medicals. I was surprised to hear we needed medicals and wondered what they were for. That is where we were taught how to operate a gun. Everything was taught in Russian language only. I realised I had to escape, but I did not know how. I prayed every day and had faith that God would help me,” he narrates, inadvertently looking up at the sky as if to say a silent ‘thank you’.
“At the medicals, I was told I have a heart problem. When I informed the leaders, they did not want to return me to Botswana,” he adds.
Fortunately for Pelekekae, salvation arrived in the form of a kind-hearted Polish passenger he befriended on the flight to Russia.
Noticing his unease, the woman started chatting with Pelekekae, who explained he was heading to Russia for work.
Suspecting her new friend was heading into a trap, especially as he knew very little about the ‘work’ awaiting him, the pair swapped numbers; she later alerted the Sudan Embassy of her suspicions.
“She is the one who reported that I had been trafficked. The Sudan Embassy contacted a student representative in Russia, who is a spokesperson for Botswana students, and she was asked to contact me and navigate how to assist me with data and money,” he reveals.
“I managed to escape with the help of the embassy. I left the camp on 22 December, stayed in another city for 12 hours, then moved to Moscow where I stayed for five days before finally returning to my motherland.”
His friend, Ntesang, was not so lucky and remains missing, his family clueless as to his exact whereabouts.
Since landing back in Bots, Pelekekae says he has received threatening text messages from contacts in Russia, warning they ‘will come for him’ and claiming to have associates in South Africa.
Despite this danger hanging over him, and even though the Russian trauma continues to haunt his dreams he refuses to keep a low profile, determined to have his story heard and make a difference, using his experience to motivate other young men.
Pelekekae is currently seeking assistance to register an organisation focused on issues such as crime, drugs, and human trafficking.
“Having experienced the consequences of poor choices firsthand, I strongly believe that programmes like Mophato play a vital role in shaping young boys into responsible and respectable men. Mophato teaches important values such as discipline, respect, accountability, integrity and the importance of making wise decisions in life. It provides young people with positive guidance, cultural teachings, and strong role models who can help them avoid crime, substance abuse and other destructive behaviours,” concludes the repentant ex-con.
Although he fell foul of such evils in the past, the present-day Pelekekae is doing his best to make amends.
