By OBAKENG MAJE
The residents of Modimong village near Taung were up in arms and accused the Taung police of being incompetent. This comes after the murder of the former Vaaltar FM presenter and socialite, Tshepang Seelo (32).
Seelo, who was walking from a local tavern with his girlfriend on 31 October 2021, allegedly saw two men stealing roof sheets from a certain house and called them out. However, the suspects, Rebaone Malekanyo (32) and Tumelo Tlonkwe (31) allegedly accosted him.
According to information, they allegedly assaulted and kidnapped him. Seelo’s girlfriend allegedly ran away and escaped unharmed. Seelo’s lifeless body was found floating in a furrow in Khibitswane village near Taung on 3 November 2021.
It is alleged that his body was mutilated and his eyes and tongue were missing.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson, Henry Mamothame, Malekanyo and Tlonkwe were arrested on 2 November 2021 after they handed themselves over to the police.
“The Taung Magistrate’s Court postponed the case against Malekanyo and Tlonkwe to 22 December 2021 for further investigations. They are currently charged with assault to do grievous bodily harm and police are currently investigating a case of kidnapping and murder.
“The two have abandoned their bail application. They will remain in police custody until their next court appearance,” he said.
However, the residents of Modimong were not happy with the court decision and they barricaded the road that links Modimong and Cokonyane with rocks and burning tyres yesterday.
They also allegedly snatched a man outside the court whom they accused of having the deceased’s missing body parts, however, the police reacted swiftly and rescued him.
Meanwhile, Seelo’s aunt, Lesego Chupane said: “We feel short-changed by the police regarding investigations in this saga. The police never bothered to visit us as a bereaved family and give an update.
“We are crestfallen and we urge the police to perform their duties diligently. We do not know if these two suspects were arrested in connection with Seelo’s murder or they were arrested for stock-theft case.”
One of the residents, Lucky Kwate, shared the same sentiments. Kwate said they are not happy after the court postponed the matter.
“Truly, we are not happy after the court postponed the matter. We urge the court to speed-up this case and ensure that justice prevail. We will wait for 22 December 2021 and see if these suspects are granted bail.
“We will discuss the next step as the community on what will happen if they are granted bail. We do not think it will be an ideal for the court to grant them bail because we do not know what will happen afterwards,” he said.
Kwate further said, as a community of Modimong, they are sick and tired of criminal activities taking place in their area.
The Guardian 