- Woman relives heartache with Kenyan husband who stole their 8- year- old child
EMOTIONALLY DRAINED: Gosego Makhumula sobs as she tells her shocking absue story
A turbulent 12 years of marriage to an abusive foreign husband has left a Motswana woman shattered, broke, emotionally scarred and desperate for help.
When Gotshega Makhumula of Dovedale said her vows to stay married to Wilfred Osoro Oroo of Kenya for better or for worse in 1998, she had no idea what kind of untold suffering awaited her.
A short six years down the marriage lane, in 2004, happy times have ended and love from her husband was replaced by intense hatred and abuse for 44 -year- Makhumula and her two children from a previous relationship.
Fast forward to 2011 and Makumula is divorced, broke and entangled in a long and complicated legal battle for her 8- year- old daughter, to be returned from Kenya where she is being held hostage by her father’s family.
Makhumula’s heart wrenching story of abuse came to the fore in her testimony about the good work that Emang Basadi, a women’s NGO has done for her in the fight to bring her child home.
Struggling to contain herself, the emotionally battered woman told her audience how she was lured to Kenya after years of physical abuse in Botswana to be beaten some more and have her last born daughter taken away from her, by her estranged husband and his family.
“He found me with two children and we had the third child. We also started a company together. I had a job and made a significant financial contribution from my salary to the company. In 2004, when we started making a bit of profit from the company, my husband turned against me and the marriage became a serious challenge. We started having numerous misunderstandings because he didn’t stay at home much and the love I was used to when we were still poor, vanished.”
As the family fortunes improved, Makhumula’s husband forged her signature and signed her shares off to himself.
“That was a shocking discovery, but I wanted so badly to believe that things would eventually improve so I stayed in the marriage even though I was constantly being beaten. He then suggested we visit Kenya and I was excited to visit my in-laws for the first time. We went in our new Mercedes Benz and everybody seemed thrilled that I had come to see them. There were even talks of organising a traditional ceremony of lobola.”
When time came for the couple to return home, Makhumula discovered that despite the apparent excitement to see her, a nasty plot that was to haunt her for the rest of her life had been weaved by her husband and his family against her.
“I didn’t read much into secret meetings they were holding until the whole plot exploded into my face and I found out they planned to keep my daughter and chase me away with nothing. But that was not before he had demanded that I ask my sister to send US$700, which she did. When I asked him where the money was, instead of answering my question, he beat me up me until I didn’t know who I was.”
Tears streaming down her face, the distraught mother told of how she was eventually thrown out by her husband who told her to her shock and horror that his daughter was not a Motswana and she was therefore not going to return to a “poor country without culture, proper education and without law and order.”
The following day she was beaten again until she was naked and told she could go wherever she wanted, but without the child whose passport was confiscated.
“He threw my passport at me and waved a blue piece of paper before me and boasted that it was proof that the child was not mine and that I had nothing to do with the child.”
Bruised, battered, humiliated and broke, Makhumula hitch hiked back to Botswana through Malawi and ended up in Livingstone, Zambia.
“In Zambia, I saw a vehicle with Botswana registration and I prayed that it would not go far.” Her prayer was answered as the car drove into a nearby lodge. Though the receptionist was difficult the security guard took her from room to room until to her relief a Motswana man answered the door.
“I saw Mr Thite of Tlokweng whom I recognised immediately and I fell down with relief. After hearing my story Thite paid for my accommodation and took me to the chemist where he bought me some pain medication.”
The following day the good Samaritan paid for her bus fare to Gaborone and eventually reported the husband to the police.
Gosego Makhumula
“The case was brought before the customary court and he was summoned. When the case got complicated and I needed support, Emang Basadi came to the rescue and less than a week ago and she was granted divorce.
Meanwhile the battle to bring back the daughter, who has been reported to be out of school and uncared for, continues as Makhumulu waits for the matter to come to court on August 25.. “My daughter was removed from school and some lady without kids took her in as my husband abandoned her when he went to look for school fees in the UK sometime ago.” said the woman who last saw her daughter when she was four years of age in 2006. “If Emang Basadi had money, my child would be here,” she lamented
Cash strapped Emang Basadi might not be able to bring Makhumulu’s daughter back unless somebody helps them. The organisation President, Ida Mokereitane, explained that they have 31 outstanding cases, which might end up being thrown out by the courts because of delays caused by lack of funds.
If you would like to help Makhumula get her daughter back and also help other women in the same position please contact Emang Basadi at: 3911421 or 72172834.
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Basadi ba batswana ba na le go ichaota, gatwe to meet my in laws for the first time, ele gore o nyadisitswe ke bomang?Ga se wena wa ntlha mama, ba bantsi basadi ba ba tsieditsweng ke makwerekwere ka lare Batswana ga bana TC mme ga ba kake ba le sotla jaaka diopportunists tsa makwerekwere.Moipolai ga a lelelwe,nna ke utlwela ngwana wa modimo yoo ko Kenya botlhoko fela.
….migrating to a foreign country, with an abusive husband…?? Ooh no! We’ve all heard of how they always “mutate” when they reach their home countries, even the white guys, unless the relationship was started & established in their home country. Ladies please, admit it. Batswana men are the best.tlogelang go rata class.
And the Voice News paper, please put more effort. Where is the Account no: ya Emang Basadi. People don’t have time to call, and some pple are outside the country but they can deposit funds into Botswana accounts.
@ Lereble, ntsha madi ngwana a boele gae. Mme yo wa batho re tlaa mo omanya ngwana a tsile. this is not the time. please!!!
the husband beat u up and u think things will get better, not only that u migrate with him to meet the inlaws 4 the 1st time,ke tsone ditlamorago tsa go inyadisa,ngwana o sa utlweng molao wa batsadi….
Mme yo o sotlegile tota le dingwaga ga di tsamaelane le ditebego tsa gagwe…..shems
@ lerebele,i am with u on this one,mosadi oka latela bomatsale ka ke bone batle go mo kopa mo lapeng le gone ba sena go ntsha bogadi,ngwana osa utlweng molao wa batsadi ditlamorago di ntse fela jaana.nw the poor baby is left in some country with no mother and father.
Nna ke nna kere neva abandon your culture coz it will always haunt you in future.@Darkie-batsadi ba Mme yo ba kae, a ba ne ba le teng ko lenyalong, if ba ne bale teng gabana boikarabelo, I remember my uncle a busa my auntie’s boyfriend le under 40 yrs kgaitsadie are ene ga a rere lenyalo le bana they shud go back and tell their parents gore ba itlise,ke fa bo aunty ba bangwe bare o lefufa ka o bona bana ba gagwe ba sa nyalwe.Kae they neva came back and the relationship e feletse mo phefong and ke leboga uncle for sticking to his culture ya setswana
nyaa nna le nna ke e gana fela fa go tweng go latela the inlaws go supagala fela sentle gore le lenyalo lene lesa thaega ,mme tota motho ga ke aa lahliwa re lela le wena ‘franco o boletse”,the voice tsenya account number re sende dithebe gongwe ngwana o ka fihlelwa a ise a bolawe ke makwerekwere,but bo mme a re itsoseng go raa nyalo tsedi seng kafa molaong go tla re digela ka lemena bomma!
shems go utlwisa botlhoko nna mma gake kake ka leka leswe leo YA LENNA NIGERIA,sorry ga nkake ke nyetswe ke motswa ka mme plis nna ke ipona ke tswa mo Botswana wa rona ke a go tlhola ke taboga kwa ga batho in Gods name gsake kake o bake .THE VOICE CAN YOU PUBLISH THE ACCOUNT NUMBER OF EMANG BASADI re thuse ngwana ,madi aa senang molato she might be scared nna wame mma kea mmolelela gore lafa aka tla ka mmilone ga kea go taboga monageng le fa a lesupa lotlhe lerato forget gape tota o nyadisitse ke bo mang o ne o ya go bona the inlaws la ntlha be careul girla………………
bane ba nyalane mme asa itse bo matsalagwe? ao basadi le lona le re isa ko tlase
Basadi ba rata nyalo bogolo jang ya ba tswa kwa o gamogile nna ke utlwela botlhoko ngwana.Mo ke tshimologo dikgolo di eta mo Botswana.O kile wa bona kae motho a sa itse bo matsalaagwe nako ya lenyalo boora monna e ne ele bo mang?suze