By OBAKENG MAJE

A man who was abducted by the residents of Modimong village near Taung in connection of the former Vaaltar FM presenter and socialite, Tshepang Seelo’s murder case said he has ‘forgiven’ his disparagers.

On 17 November 2021, Bakang ‘Mahommed’ Katong was abducted by some angry community members from Modimong village outside the Taung Magistrate’s Court. They allegedly shoved him in a red bakkie and fled.

They allegedly linked Katong to two suspects, Rebaone Malekanyo (32) and Tumelo Tlonkwe (31) who were arrested for assaulting Seelo, while the police are investigating kidnapping and murder case against them.    

According to some community members, one of the suspects allegedly confessed that the ‘missing’ body parts of Seelo were sold to Katong. It is alleged that the eyes and tongue were missing from the deceased’s body.   

However, Katong said: “Even though I was injured by the angry community members for something that I did not do, I would not open any criminal case against them. I am at peace and I have forgiven them.

“Right now, I am at Taung District Hospital seeking medical attention. I believe that they did not know what they were doing.”

Meanwhile, the North West police spokesperson, Lit Colonel Amanda Funani was quick to squash those allegations that Seelo’s body was mutilated.

“Yes, we can confirm that a man was kidnapped by community members and the police came to his rescue. He was unharmed in the whole fiasco and he is currently at his residential area.

“The victim is not linked to Seelo’s murder case. As the police, we can also confirm that there were no body parts missing from the deceased’s body,” Funani said.

The police strongly warn the community to refrain from committing acts of mob justice. They call on community members to report criminal activities to the lawful authorities rather than taking the law into their own hands.

“People who engage in mob justice should know that the law will definitely be after them. There is nobody who is above the law, despite whatever grievances one might have. You cannot be law unto yourself.

“So, we encourage communities to join structures such as the Community Police Forums (CPF’s) and work together with their local Traditional Leadership with a clear mandate of addressing crime. Acts of mob justice are acts of crime, that’s all.”

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By OBAKENG MAJE

The family of the deceased, Kgotlaetsile Mompati (35) in Maphoitsile village near Taung, blame the North West Health Department for his death. According to the deceased’s brother, Clifford Mompati, Kgotlaetsile died a few hours after he was vaccinated.

“My brother complained of headache, dizziness and swollen arm. He also had no appetite during the night of vaccination. So, as a family, we are concerned because it is crystal clear that proper assessment was not done.

“He had chronic disease and we expected the nurses to treat him with high care because people with chronic diseases are at increased risk for complications. Now, he had severely allergic reactions towards the vaccine,” he said.

Mompati also said there were allegations that the nurses who were on duty at that time were under the influence of alcohol.  The deceased died  on 8 November 2021 at around 10pm and was buried on 14 November 2021.

Meanwhile, the North West Health Department spokesperson, Tebogo Lekgethwane refuted these allegations. Lekgethwane said on 7 November 2021, the Vaccination Team of the Greater Taung Sub-District, went to Maphoitsile Community Hall for vaccination.

“On arrival, the hall was booked for a gospel concert for Moruti Tube. The organizers of the concert then denied the vaccination team access to the hall, claiming they paid for the entire premises. They demanded co-payment for the use of the hall,” he said.

Lekgethwane further said the Vaccination Team then requested a space to vaccinate at a nearby house and the owner gave them permission. He added that the team vaccinated under a tree.

“On weekends, managers are allocated to support the vaccination teams. The team at Maphoitsile village was under the leadership of the Acting Assistant Director Community Health Service.

“The deceased was also a chronic patient who was on hypertension medication. The cause of death is not known to the department. So, the department would comment on the cause of death based on information provided on the death certificate,” he said.

Lekgethwane said their Sub-District has never experienced the death of a patient after being vaccinated. He said the cause of death can only be established through an investigation and it is a fallacy that nurses were under the influence of alcohol while vaccinating patients.

“The nurses were not under the influence of alcohol and they were supervised by a manager. The department would act if substantive evidence is brought forward to support the allegations.

“As department, we would also welcome such information and investigate. We would take appropriate steps if any official is found to have been under the influence of alcohol whilst on duty,” concluded Lekgethwane.

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