……while a 77-year-old man dies from elephant attack
Police in Rakops are investigating an incident in which a 49-year-old man of Makalamabedi is alleged to have hacked to death his 34-year-old ex-girlfriend of Gudigwa with an axe on Sunday morning.
Rakops Police Station Commander Superintendent Joel Machete confirmed that the incident happened at around 0300am following a misunderstanding between the two.
Machete revealed that the deceased was staying in Maun with her new boyfriend, but then decided to relocate to Makalamabedi to look after her daughter who had just given birth. It is reported that when the tragic incident happened the victim was currently staying at his ex-boyfriend’s place where she was looking after her daughter and the new born.
According to Machete, the victim had reportedly informed her ex-boyfriend that she wants to return back to Maun following some arguments, the decision which tempered the accused’s anger, subsequently triggering him to grab an axe and hit her.
The deceased’s body is currently lying at Letsholathebe Memorial Hospital in Maun awaiting post-mortem while the suspect appeared before the Letlhakane Magistrate’s Court this week.
Machete has encouraged men to seek guidance and counselling when having such problems rather than taking someone’s life as that brings sadness and loss to the deceased’s family and members of the community.
In yet another tragic incident, Maun Police Station Commander Superintendent Joseph Lepodise, has confirmed that a 77-year-old man of Maun was found dead following a suspected elephant attack near Dikgathong settlement.
According to Superintendent Lepodise, the police received a report on Sunday morning about an elderly man lying motionless on the roadside. The incident was reported by a 53-year-old man who was passing by the road toward the cattle post near Dikgathong Settlement.
Upon receiving the report, police officers immediately rushed to the scene. “When officers arrived, they found the elderly man lying unresponsive, showing severe injuries to his rib cage,” said Superintendent Lepodise. “He was surrounded by tracks believed to be elephant footprints, indicating that the animals had been near or directly involved in the incident.”
The victim was quickly taken to Letsholathebe II Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Initial investigations suggest the fatal attack may have occurred the night before, sometime between 1000 pm and the early hours of the morning. According Lepodise, the deceased was last seen leaving his home on Saturday night around 10 pm, a detail that has led authorities to believe the incident occurred under the cover of darkness.
“With wild animals, especially elephants, increasingly straying close to human settlements, the risk to community members is real.” Stated Lepodise
The station commander has since urged the residents to avoid traveling at night, particularly in areas near game corridors or open bush. “People must take precautions. Moving around in the dark puts you at serious risk of encountering dangerous wildlife,” he said.
