The grieving family of a 39-year-old man from Mosetse village, identified as Tabona Nthokwa, who was tragically found hanging from a tree in a nearby bush in Kasane this past Sunday morning, has officially refuted widespread allegations that the deceased had made threats to kill his partner before taking his own life.
In a detailed interview, the deceased’s cousin, Jackson Nthokwa, stated firmly that there was never any documented conflict between the deceased and his alleged girlfriend. He flatly refuted various reports, even from the police suggesting that the deceased had threatened to end the life of the said woman, emphasising that such claims were entirely unfounded.
Nthokwa further explained that there was no active romantic affair between the two individuals at the time of the incident, adding that the deceased had long since split with the woman in question. The family believes that the narrative surrounding the legal charges has been misrepresented to the public.
According to Nthokwa, the local police received their initial information from a third party or anonymous source who told them that the deceased harboured intentions to kill the woman. He said that after receiving this tip-off, the police proceeded to arrest the deceased and officially charged him with a “threat to kill” offence, even though they had not received any formal report or statement from the actual alleged complainant.
In that regard, Nthokwa is of the firm view that his deceased cousin was not treated fairly by the police authorities, and he believes that this specific legal pressure placed an immense amount of stress on him, which eventually influenced his decision to end his life.
Meanwhile, in a follow-up interview regarding the matter, the Kasane Police Station Commander, Superintendent James Maabong, has backtracked on his earlier statement where he had indicated that the deceased was charged with a threat to kill.
He clarified that the police originally received information from an anonymous source reporting that the deceased had some ongoing conflicts with his alleged girlfriend. He revealed that upon receiving that specific report, they arrested the deceased and remanded him in police custody to investigate the claims further.
“He was arrested on the 20th of April and released the following day,” said the police boss, clarifying the timeline of the detention.
Maabong further noted that both the deceased and the alleged girlfriend were eventually reconciled during the process. However, he also revealed that the deceased was already under a restraining order issued by the Kasane Magistrate’s Court, suggesting a more complex legal history than initially reported.
The deceased was officially reported missing on the 24th of April 2026 by one of his concerned relatives, at which point the police commenced a formal search operation in the surrounding areas.
According to Maabong, the man was eventually found by a passer-by two days later, who immediately informed the police of the grim discovery. Upon receiving the report, the police officers went to the scene where they indeed found the deceased hanging from a tree. They subsequently took him to Kasane Primary Hospital where he was tragically certified dead by medical staff.
Maabong confirmed that the deceased left behind a suicide note. In the letter, the man wrote that he was not happy with his own life and mentioned that he was facing significant personal challenges within his relationship.
