Shot Over 'Illegal' Gun

(MENAFN- The Post) MASERU – A frightened Tšepo Serake, whose hands were cuffed to those of his dying friend, Khoabane Ramaisa, 30, was literally begging for his life asking the three police officers not to kill them.

Ramaisa had just been shot by the police and was bleeding profusely. The two were accused of being in possession of an illegal gun and the police were demanding that they hand over the weapon.

The two were taking the police to a farm in the Free State, in South Africa, where they had allegedly confessed to have hidden the gun.

Instead of taking them through a designated border gate and ask their South African counterparts to search for the illegal weapon, the police took them through an illegal entry point, right into a freezing Mohokare River.

It is not clear what conversations the police had while the two men were in the cold water.

But suddenly opened fire and shot Ramaisa.

He eventually succumbed to his wound.

Ramaisa's sister, Sophie Ramaisa, this week narrated to thepost the circumstances surrounding her brother's death.

She said Serake had told them that when he saw that his friend was dying after he was shot and was becoming heavy on him as they had been tied together, he cried for help.

“Madam, help us we are dying.”

Ramaisa said Serake begged the female police officer to spare their lives, hoping that by virtues of being a woman, she would react to her natural, motherly and tender compassion.

She said three police officers, one female and two men, drove them to the river in a Toyota Quantum.

She said Serake wanted to be freed from his dying friend who had become too heavy for him to carry.

Seeing that his pleas to the police had fallen on deaf ears, Serake decided to pull his friend to the other side of the river, in South Africa, where he sought the help of the police.

It was not clear how Serake, who had not sustained any injuries in the shooting, managed to free himself from the handcuffs.

The spokesman for the Free State police, Brigadier Motantši Makhele, told thepost yesterday that on June 8 in the afternoon the Ladybrand police responded to a complaint of an inquest at Tanden Farm, near the Mohokare River.

“Upon arrival, officers were met by a witness, who is apparently a resident of Liboping, Mokhethoaneng in Berea, Lesotho. He led the police to the body of the deceased, also from Berea,” Brig Makhele said.

“The deceased was confirmed dead by Emergency Medical Services at the scene,” he said.

Brig Makhele said the matter is currently under investigation by the South African police as an inquest“and all relevant information has been or will be shared with the appropriate authorities”.

“Coordination between South African and Lesotho law enforcement is ongoing to establish jurisdiction, identify the individuals involved and verify the sequence of events, including the exact location of the fatal injury,” he said.

“Please note that due to the cross-border nature and the serious allegations made, further investigation and cooperation with Lesotho authorities are necessary to ensure a thorough and just outcome.”

Lesotho's police spokesman, Senior Superintendent Mpiti Mopeli, told thepost that he was not aware of the case.

“I only heard of such a case. If it happened in South Africa it would be dealt with from that side,” S/Supt Mopeli said.

“They would only liaise with us,” he said.

The Ramaisa family say they want justice for their son.

“Irrespective of what our brother did, he did not deserve to be killed,” Sophie Ramaisa said.

She said the police confiscated some of the property of her brother including two cell phones, some scissors, headphones, power bank and some money totaling M18.10.

However, she said the police returned all the property except one phone.

The family say they have not yet set a burial date because the South African police are still investigating the matter.

The chief of Mokhethoaneng, Chief Hlabathe Majara, said on the fateful day he heard some noise from his office in the morning around 5am.

He went to investigate the matter and found his men from the community policing forum (Mahokela) together with his assistant.

“I demanded answers as to what was happening,” he said.

The response was that there was someone who had been shouting for help in the village of Liboping.

Chief Majara said he picked up that four people from his village were locked in an exchange of words that saw one woman severely beaten up.

“Those people were from a drinking spree in Ha-Foso,” he said.

“Then they walked down to Mokhethoaneng where there was a shooting during the same night,” he said.

Since there were elements of crime in the two incidents, Chief Majara informed the Foso police who went to his place to investigate.

He said four people were picked up by the police in relation to these crimes.

Later, he got a call informing him that one of his subjects had been fatally shot on the South African side of the border.

He said he informed the Ha-Foso police who did not answer the phone until he sought help from the Teya-Teyaneng police who came late.

“They told us that we should not touch the corpse,” he said.

The police from Lesotho found their South African counterparts already gathered near the corpse.

The South African army was also at the crime scene.

A Mokhethoaneng councilor, Zakaria Tlali, said the death of Khoabane Ramaisa had left them in great shock.

“We are still looking forward to seeing justice done for the affected family,” Tlali said.

Majara Molupe

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