Multitudes gathered in Serowe this past weekend to pay their last respects to the late Kebabope Mmotlanyane, 34, who was killed in cold blood by her husband at a counselling centre in Gaborone. Her 40-year-old husband, Gomolemo Mmotlanyane is currently in custody pending a court appearance on June 12. Mmotlanyane’s death has sparked discussions regarding the extent at which Gender Based Violence (GBV), especially against women and children, has manifested in society.

Mmotlanyane’s younger brother, Goabaone Harry, described the horrific loss of his sister as a tragedy.

In an interview with The Midweek Sun, Harry said his sister, Keba, was a lovely person of great character, despite her albinism that often attracted a lot of bullying and harassment. He recalls that all their lives it was never easy for her, to a point that he often had to physically protect her. He is however proud that up to her end, Keba had grown to be a strong confident woman that eventually got married and had a family of her own. Harry noted that his sister’s murder is a huge blow and devastation to the whole family because they were all encouraged by Keba’s life and her achievements. They all believed that things were going well, at least for one of them but unfortunately it turned out this way. “From a distance, my sister and her husband were a very good couple. It was also evident that the values that my sister upheld and the values that her husband held were not the same but I consoled myself with the fact that they seemed happy together. There were no signs that they were going through difficulties,” Harry said. He added that his sister was fond of showing public affection when with her husband, often calling him with sweet pet names such as sweetheart. Harry revealed that the family had no idea that behind closed doors, the couple might have been having marital problems. Bits and pieces of information coming out now regarding how his sister lived have shed light into the couple’s relationship. In his view, it appears as if his sister lived a painful life. Breaking down in tears, Harry said he somehow blames himself for not doing enough to check on his sister to find out if she was really okay. He further regrets totally relegating caring for his sister to her husband even though he had an offish feeling about him (Gomolemo). “I believe this was premeditated and he knew exactly what he was doing and I believe my sister was vulnerable even though she pretended to be strong. She went through a lot and she tried carrying the weight of her problems alone,” Harry said.

Chief Executive of Botswana Gender Based Violence Support and Prevention Centre Lorato Moalosi said they first engaged with the deceased two days before she died. She explained that the centre receives people who come in seeking counselling services, and that in some cases, their clients prefer to be joined with their partners to resolve differences.

Moalosi explained that when a troubled couple approaches them they often arrange counselling for both parties in order to establish the cause of the problems from each side. She also urged elders to intervene at family level and take responsibility of mentoring their children in order to win the GBV fight.