Witchcraft and Robbery Allegations Emerge in Makobo Murder Mystery
Amid rumors of witchcraft as a possible motive, the mother and daughter duo accused of killing their grandmother at her home in Makobo village have had a count of robbery added to their charge sheet.
Ruth Fana, 54, and Onalenna Fana, 35, made headline news when they were arrested for the murder of 72-year-old Elicah Fana (Ruth’s mother), whose blood-soaked dead body was found on Monday, June 9.
Brought before Francistown Magistrates for their latest court date on Tuesday, the Fanas were accused of stealing two cellphones belonging to Elicah, worth a combined P3,300; both phones have since been recovered by the police.
As they did in their previous appearances, the suspects begged for bail on the basis that they are the guardians of Onalenna’s son, who has just started senior secondary school, and her young daughter, currently at home suffering from poor health.
“The child doing Form Four needs moral support from a parent. I also have a grandchild of sick health who is to be taken to the psychologist; sickness forced her to leave school,” reported Ruth.
However, urging the court to deny their bail cries, Investigating Officer (IO) Kenneth Zibochwa explained the two children in question are also witnesses in the matter.
“The other witness is the first accused (Ruth)’s brother; we have not yet recovered any statements because all the potential witnesses are undergoing counseling. We fear there might be interference because of the relationship between the accused and the witnesses. We cannot say when released on bail they will not see each other,” said Zibochwa, adding emotions between Ruth and her only brother were still high.
The IO informed the court that the brother, who is also the second accused’s uncle, refused to take custody of Onalenna’s minor children, forcing the state to involve social workers.
Zibochwa further noted the young girl does indeed appear to be ill, but does not have any medical records, which might leave the law with no option but to add a charge of negligence.
Saving his biggest news for last, the IO added it seems the suspects were convinced the old woman was bewitching them, which could be why they [allegedly] killed her.
Under cross-examination, Ruth admitted she was aware of these rumors of sorcery, but did not expand. Instead, she explained they took the sick child to a private doctor, who kept the medical records at his clinic.
For her part, Onalenna denied witchcraft allegations, maintaining they never consulted any traditional doctors but rather went to see pastors at ZCC and Bethuna church, where they are both members.
Remanded in custody yet again, mother and daughter return to court on August 18. As they made their way to the police van, the Fanas once again had to negotiate a sizeable crowd of onlookers, with public interest in the matter still high.
