Maseru, Dec.12 — A five year-old Boitelo Motsoko who was raped and murdered a fortnight ago at Ha Leqele in Maseru, has been laid to rest on Saturday.
In a very emotional send-off that had almost everyone crying, the deceased’s uncle narrated what transpired on the day that the little girl was murdered.
Mr. Tseliso Motsoko said Boitelo was playing with other children when the alleged rapist, who goes by the name of Liau, a neighbour, called her inside the house, covered her mouth with a masking tape, raped, strangled, and put her body inside a clothes trunk.
He further explained that Liau told the villagers later on that at some point he opened the clothes trunk and realised that Boitelo was still breathing, and this is when he decided to put 20 litres capacity bucket with paint on the trunk so that there is not even the smallest amount of oxygen that goes inside.
He then indicated that the alleged rapist and killer was among the people who were searching for the girl’s body but left immediately for a change of clothes when one villager disclosed that he met someone with a bag similar to the one that the body was found in, and mentioning the colours of the clothes he was wearing.
‘’He left the crowd for a change of clothes, unaware that someone knew who he was, and that is how he got arrested.’’
Boitelo was a pre-schooler at St. Vincent Pre-school. Her teachers have described her as a peaceful person, always wearing an innocent smile.
Sr. Lucia Liboti, in tears and a shaky voice, said the deceased went to her school when she was only over a year old, and they had bonded to the extent that she took her as her own.
She said Boitelo was a peaceful child, one who was always happy, but someone decided to take all that away.
Mr. ‘Nekole Motsoko, the deceased child’s father who could not stand before people for more than two minutes, just stared at his girl’s small coffin and only managed to thank everyone for their support.
Human rights organisations also gathered to pay their last respects to Boitelo. Last week, women’s rights activists and the Leqele community had a march from Matala circle to Ha Leqele as a demonstration of their support to the family, but also to voice out their frustration that emanates from the escalation in women and children murders in the country.
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