'Where was Tlotso murdered?'

The Monitor Editor | Tuesday July 12, 2022 06:00

The stepfather appeared in court on July 7 according to a widely circulated press release by the Botswana Police Service (BPS) Public Relations Unit.

While the police have clearly stated that investigations are still ongoing, information that has been made public suggests that the boy was kidnapped by someone he knew and trusted to protect him against harm and danger.

The revelation infuriated the public further, as people from different corners of Botswana joined forces with residents of Lobatse in the call for Tlotso’s safe return. This case is very painful and has infuriated many people in society, leading to a lot of mistrust in the way investigations are being done.

It is understandable that when a case is still under investigation, not all information can be made public, but the BPS and all other organs that they are collaborating with owe it to the public to keep them informed so that they do away with issues of mistrust.

It is commendable that they have decided to update the public on the case, but certain questions asked by the public can be answered and not hurt their investigation.

One of the questions that those who attended the Lobatse briefing on Sunday sought from the police was to reveal where the boy was murdered; the assumption is that the area has already been sealed, as such, letting the public know about the crime scene shouldn’t be so hard. Failure by law enforcement organs to reveal general information may lead to the public feeling there is a cover-up in the way the matter is being handled! Or feelings that there are intentions to frame certain individuals in the murder of an innocent soul.

It is good to realise that our popular saying ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ still applies even today. People have supported the Karema family in this ordeal and have demanded answers in the case, which led to law enforcement being more active in the case.

Any crime report on the first day of being reported usually states where the victim was murdered, and since they have disclosed that the suspect led them to the place where the little boy was killed, it should be something that they can easily share with the public.

Such cases have the potential of causing a lot of unrest if not handled properly. As such we plead with law enforcement to give proper details on the case and keep the public informed to minimise the possibility of people making assumptions that can lead to innocent people being targeted or harmed.