Within the half-hour the rain clouds gathered, lightning struck and she was dead. The family of a young woman has been left with more questions than answers as they too wonder if their relative’s incident was witchcraft or just an unfortunate incident by Mother Nature.

When she left home to fend for her family on Thursday, 29-year-old Phodiso Baatweng would have never imagined the tragedy that awaited her. The rain clouds that hovered over parts of the capital city for less than 30 minutes delivered a single listening strike that claimed her life.

The young woman was struck and killed on the spot. According to eyewitnesses, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the young woman was packing up her table, where she sells corn to fend for her family, as the change of weather was promising heavy rains. Just as she was packing up, getting ready to leave, she was struck by lightning. Her sister spoke to The Monitor as she struggles to come to terms with the passing of her sibling.

She tells The Monitor in a telephonic interview that Phodiso was a second-year student at Molepolole College of Education pursuing her teaching qualifications in Religious Education.

“Normally when schools are on midterm break she looks around for a job. This time she found a niche selling corn in Gaborone. So every day she would travel to Gaborone and come back to Molepolole in the evening. She leaves behind a threeyear-old child and we will lay my sister to rest the coming Saturday,” the deceased’s sister said.

She further articulated: “I mean as I talk to you now I am inclined to believe what happened to my sister can happen to anyone. I want to believe it was just a natural disaster because we really don’t believe in witchcraft, but I will tell you that my father and siblings passed on in such mysterious ways and we wonder what our family’s fate

is.” Officer-in-charge at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) at the Gaborone West Police Station, Assistant Superintendent Tebogo Morwamang confirmed the incident to The Monitor.

Morwamang said the police received the report and rushed to the scene where a woman was found lying on the side of the road. She was certified dead upon arrival at the hospital. According to the police, the freak incident is one of those unfortunate Mother Nature incidents that leave one with more questions than answers. The police, however, distance anything witchcraft-related in such incidents.