The Broadhurst Magistrate Court today (January 21st) granted an urgent application by the immediate family of 21-year-old Oratile Sewawa to stop his burial, amid allegations of foul play in his mysterious death.
Oratile passed away in Moshupa on January 14th after complaining of hunger the previous night.
He was found the next morning in a disturbing state, covered in blood with foamy liquid coming from his mouth.
A post-mortem failed to reveal any illness or abnormalities in his organs but suggested signs consistent with poison ingestion.
The application to halt the burial was led by Oratile’s mother and younger sister, Penah Sewawa, who suspect that Oratile was intentionally poisoned.
They claim the poisoning is linked to Oratile’s grandfather, who was living with him at the time and is leading the funeral arrangements.
She further alleged that Oratile’s grandfather may have been keeping poison in the house.
“Oratile didn’t leave the house that day, so the only possible explanation is that whatever harmed him was in that house. We strongly believe this was intentional, and we’re determined to get to the bottom of it,” she said.
The family also raised concerns about a possible connection to ritualistic practices, citing their fears of a hidden agenda.
“In addition to the physical signs of poisoning, we believe there may be a hidden agenda behind oratile’s death, possibly tied to ritualistic practices. This compounded by our fears stemming from a similar incident in the past, involving Oratiles grandmother, who was found in a similar state,” Penah added.
In their court application, the family requested another post-mortem to conclusively determine the cause of death. They argued that proceeding with the burial would hinder investigations.
The grandfather, however, is adamant about going ahead with the burial, which Penah described as “an attempt to cover his tracks.”
The court issued a temporary order halting the burial and directed other family members, including Oratile’s uncle and those absent from the proceedings, to respond by January 22 with reasons why the order should not be made permanent.
