Woman accuses Botswana police for hiring Zim killer to kill her son

A distraught mother of a suspected criminal who was shot and injured recently has claimed that the Zimbabwean gun man who shot him was a killer for hire.

Mosadimontle Gabatshwane, 46 has accused Maun Police in Botswana of having hired the Zimbabwean to kill his son.

In an interview with The Voice, Gabatshwane said that after police failed to link her 25- year -old son, Onaletshepo Gabtshwane to crimes that were committed at some farms in the area, the law enforcement officers decided to hire a Zimbabwean man to eliminate him.

She alleges that on April 26, police came looking for his son in connection with a house-break-in at Mphoyamodimo Farms in the North West District.

"After a search the police commissioned the Zimbabwean man to shoot my son and when I was still trying to come to terms with what they were saying, another individual, Othata Dikobe a village elder who was in the company of the police uttered that it was time for my child to be killed." Claimed Gabatshwane.

She said that after a few days she heard gun shots and when she rushed to investigate with a group of other curious villagers she was shell shocked to find her son in a pool of blood.

"Had he not run out of bullets that man would have finished my son off," She said

Pausing several times during the interview to speak on the phone with her husband, Gabatshwane said Dikobe had mentioned that her son's life was worthless because he is a Mosarwa.

"I am a Mosarwa yes but that does not warrant people to walk all over my family and I will fight until justice is done," she said defiantly.

Commenting on allegations that they had commissioned the young man's death, Maun Police Station Commander Superintendent Peter Gochela said that he was not aware of any directives asking the Zimbabwean man to shoot or kill someone.

"What I know is that we have a case in which the said person was a wanted man for rape and house-break-in." Concerning the shooting Gochela said that the gunman was acting in self-defence.

"Onaletshepo attacked him. That's why he shot him with a pellet gun, it is not an illegal fire arm." Police Spokesperson explained.

Meanwhile Dikobe, a former Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture employee has threatened to sue Gabatshwane for defaming him.

He acknowledges that he helped the police with transport to search for Onaletshepo but denies ever uttering tribalistic remarks and saying the young man deserved to die.

"I know she goes around spreading lies about me but this time around she has gone too far. I am going to take action," he said.

Efforts to trace the alleged gun man proved futile while Onaletshepo was whisked to jail after his hospital treatment.