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DITSHWANELO’S ANTI-DEATH PENALTY CAMPAIGN
KOBEDI MATTER – DITSHWANELO’S INVOLVEMENT
We, DITSHWANELO – The Botswana Centre for Human Rights, wish to respond to the article by Benison Makele, which appeared in the ‘Sowetan Sunday World’ of 8 April 2001. The article was entitled SA WIFE BEGS FOR HER MAN.
In the article, the common-law wife of Mr Lehlohonolo Kobedi, Ms Masempe Sempe, is reported as having said that `the Ditshwanelo group was xenophobic’ and `she felt it would not take up Kobedi’s case because he was South African’.
As we were unavailable to make a comment last Friday 6 April 2001, we would like to take this opportunity to comment publicly on the statement of Ms Sempe.
Prior to this newspaper report, we had already established contact with Mr Kobedi in 1999. At the time, he had indicated preference for a particular lawyer. We managed to ensure that contact was established between Mr Kobedi and his preferred lawyer. DITSHWANELO achieved this despite limitations of access, which are set by prison authorities. DITSHWANELO also managed, at Mr Kobedi’s request, to establish contact with his family in South Africa. DITSHWANELO brought the Kobedi matter to the attention of institutions, which we believed could provide some assistance to him. These were The South African Human Rights Commission, The Lesotho Council of NGOs and African Legal Aid. DITSHWANELO remains in contact with the lawyer of Mr Kobedi and is monitoring the situation.
We regret that Ms Sempe was not then known to us. We would have informed her about what DITSHWANELO had been doing in relation to the matter of Mr Lehlohonolo Kobedi.
11 April 2001
Gaborone |
