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IN COURT: Murder accused Bertha Maretlwa

The house where the bodies were buried. PHOTOS: Boitumelo Tshehle

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THE funeral of a North West pastor and his daughter, whose remains were found buried inside their home, has been put on hold so that the the police can conduct more forensic tests.

The badly decomposed body of Elias Maretlwa, 61, a pastor in Tlhabologang in Coligny, and a skeleton believed to be that of his daughter Leki Maretlwa, 23, were discovered by the police buried in a shallow grave in the bedroom of their house.

North West police spokesman Brigadier Thulani Ngubane told Sowetan that the police might undertake further diggings in the yard to make sure that more bodies are not buried there.

The two were allegedly killed by the pastor's wife, Bertha Maretlwa.

The house was also used by the community for church services on Sundays.

The pastor of the National Independent Congregation Church was reported missing in December, while his daughter had been reported missing in 2009.

According to the family the wife allegedly told them that her husband and daughter where in Botswana to train as traditional healers.

They were supposed to return on June 16, when the family, church members and friends were to throw a big welcome ceremony.

The family got angry when the two failed to appear on the said date. They questioned the wife, who allegedly succumbed to pressure and revealed the whereabouts of their bodies. The woman said she had buried them there because she was poor and could not afford funerals.

North West Premier Thandi Modise's spokesman, Lesiba Kgwele, said the office of the premier would assist with the funeral costs.

The woman and her 16-year-old daughter have been arrested and charged with two counts of murder.

They will appear in the Coligny Magistrate's Court today. - tshehleb@sowetan.co.za

Comments

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Sat May 18 20:06:36 SAST 2013 ::

Jun 25, 2012

lindsay

were there any other family members who were lost and could not be accounted for or you people are just further abusing the dead again?
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Jun 25, 2012

nwamathebula01

minjhani hinkwenu
yooh kokwani swinyika navusiwani xem,mara sathani utlanga hi vana va vanhu nwina.

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Jun 25, 2012

Limpopoist

It only 2 people who went missing ,only 2 bodies found...why police have to do more digging for more bodies.....

Is north west police at their best.....or poor journo....
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Jun 25, 2012

tumzangwana

how can they charge the woman with murder if it hasnt been established how the two died? i think mmamout! is telling the truth that she couldnt afford the funeral costs hence marapo ko kamoreng.
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Jun 25, 2012

Publc2

Limpopoist
It only 2 people who went missing ,only 2 bodies found...why police have to do more digging for more bodies.....
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If maybe a Tazz has been reported missing,after a thorough search,if it is discovered,it is likely to discover more vehicles(golfs,nissans,isuzus etc.) or stripped parts in a position of that thug.Some cannot be traced because they have not been reported missing or they were reported in other provinces or even other countries.

So to me this woman is a devil.Of course she might have killed more other people whom were not reported missing(e.g.foreigners)

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Jun 25, 2012

Publc2

tumzangwana
how can they charge the woman with murder if it hasnt been established how the two died? i think mmamout! is telling the truth that she couldnt afford the funeral costs hence marapo ko kamoreng.
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It is clear that she killed them because if they died of natural causes she would have told the family
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Jun 25, 2012

AusiBob

But burying the corpses was not a solution inside the house and not informing anyone was not a solution. Now, even if koko is innocent it will be difficult to prove that.
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Jun 25, 2012

Publc2

AusiBob
But burying the corpses was not a solution inside the house and not informing anyone was not a solution. Now, even if koko is innocent it will be difficult to prove that.
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There is no innocense here.The church members would have been notified about this hence they would have contributed or donated to make sure that the people are put to rest in a dignified way.The ward councillor would have been notified and hence they would seek help from the government if needs be.
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Jun 25, 2012

tumzangwana

but my brother le wena you can see that this story is just full of holes because nothing is being said about how they died, we just know that they were buried in the bedroom but nothing is being said to suggest that this mmamorut! shot or knifed or beat them those two to death.
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Jun 25, 2012

tumzangwana

Publc2
but my brother le wena you can see that this story is just full of holes because nothing is being said about how they died, we just know that they were buried in the bedroom but nothing is being said to suggest that this mmamorut! shot or knifed or beat them those two to death or maybe poisined them.

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