For two years the family of a man accused of murdering his son and two teenage relatives for insurance payouts had to pretend they did not suspect him so as to not raise the alarm that police were investigating.
His wife, who had also been told that her husband was suspected to have had a hand in the murders of her son and two nephews, allegedly lived in terror of the man she was married to but also pretended that all was well at home.
Last week, however, the family finally breathed a sigh of relief when police arrested Daniel Mokwai, 62, and charged him with the murders of his son Mothibi Mokwai, 31, as well as siblings Orapeleng, 17, and Mosimanegape Tsikang, 16, who were his wife’s nephews. The teenagers’ mother died in 2008.
Mokwai is set to make his second court appearance at the Bloemhof magistrate’s court in North West on Wednesday. He faces three counts of murder for the deaths of Orapeleng in 2020, Mosimanegape in 2021 and Mothibi in October 2022.
For Mokwai’s brother-in-law Moses Tsikang, the arrest has finally relieved his sister from a difficult situation due to the sensitivity of the case.
He said the family had to be nice to Mokwai and go on as normal while helping police gather evidence against him.
“He did not think his father could be poisoning him. He trusted him,” Tsikang said.
Afterwards, Tsikang said he told police about the family’s suspicions. They went to get footage and began investigations.
In the meantime, he said, they had to face Mokwai all the time knowing very well that they were giving statements to the police.
Myburgh said police would not be in a position to say how much Mokwai received after claiming for the three’s deaths.
Myburgh said as an inquest docket had been opened following the trio’s deaths, Mokwai was arrested after forensic results came back and proved that they had been poisoned.
North West police commissioner, Lt-Gen Sello Kwena said it was unacceptable that children were “murdered by someone they trusted”.
Kwena said police will continue to work hard to remove “criminals such as this one” from society.
He also called upon insurance companies and members of the public to report cases where they suspect foul play or criminal activity when they process insurance claims.
“We had told my sister to be careful because we knew what her husband was capable of. When you want justice you have to do anything, even if it means smiling with the enemy.
“She had to put up with all that so she could get justice. It was a rough period for her,” said Tsikang.
According to North West police spokesperson Col Adele Myburgh, Mothibi, Orapeleng and Mosimanegape died a year apart over a three-year period.
“In all three cases, the accused successfully claimed from his insurance policies. However, family members reported him to the police after becoming suspicious that he murdered their relatives by allegedly buying all three of them pies. They would then get sick after eating the pie and eventually died,” said Myburgh.
Tsikang, 38, said back in 2020, Mokwai allegedly bought Orapeleng a pie when they were in town.
Later Orapeleng allegedly fell ill while on the streets with friends.
Tsikang said when word got out that Orapeleng had collapsed, Mokwai was one of the people who rushed to the scene and took him to hospital in his car. He died on arrival and Mokwai made a contribution towards his burial.
“In all three cases, the accused successfully claimed from his insurance policies. However, family members reported him to the police after becoming suspicious that he murdered their relatives by allegedly buying all three of them pies. They would then get sick after eating the pie and eventually died.” – NW police spokesperson Col Adele Myburgh
The following year Mokwai was allegedly looking for Mosimanegape, saying he wanted him to wash his car.
He is alleged to have bought him a pie too. Just like his brother, Mosimanegape died.
At this point, said Tsikang, they started to be suspicious that Mokwai could be behind the brothers’ deaths but had no proof. He said Mokwai told the family that he had insured Mosimanegape and contributed towards his burial.
However, what led to Mokwai’s arrest was his son’s death in October 2021.
Tsikang said on that fateful day he got a call from his friend who had just passed Mothibi parked on the side of the road.
The friend told Tsikang that Mothibi was foaming at the mouth and vomiting.
“I called one of my brothers to rush to the scene. He found Mothibi very sick and rushed him to hospital where he later died.”
Tsikang said when he found out that Mokwai was the last person who had been with Mothibi, he went to a filling station in town where he knew Mokwai liked to buy petrol to find out if he had bought anything that he could have then given to his son.
“In the footage Mokwai and Mothibi arrive at the garage in the same car. Mothibi is the one driving.
“As Mothibi checks the car tyres, Mokwai gets into the convenience store and then buys a pie.
“The footage then shows him disappearing into the toilet. He remains there for a few minutes then emerges with the pie and goes to the car and gives it to Mothibi.”
Tsikang said it was not easy watching the footage.
“It was traumatic,” he said.
