Mzansi reacts to Botswana woman Lesedi Molapisi’s arrest and scheduled execution in Bangladesh.
News about 30-year-old Botswana woman Lesedi Molapisi’s arrest and scheduled execution in Bangladesh has been making rounds on social media since Friday. According to reports, Lesedi Molapisi, a native of Ramotswa in Botswana, was arrested on arrival at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka in January.
Lesedi arrived the country airport on a Qatar Airways flight from South Africa, coming in via Doha. According to the Bangladeshi English-language daily newspaper, New Age, Molapisi was intercepted by the airport’s customs officials and an intelligence agency while crossing the green channel (a passage for arriving passengers with no goods to declare).
Customs officials scanned her bag, and over 3kg of a heroin-like granular substance was discovered and seized. According to several reports, Bangladesh has strict anti-drug laws. Anyone caught illegally cultivating, producing, transporting, exporting, or importing heroin, cocaine, and cocaine derivatives drugs in excess of 25 grams or milliliters might get the death penalty.
The Zimbabwean mean reported that Molapisi was tried, found guilty, and sentenced to death. According to Daily Star in Bangladesh at the time of her arrest, Sanuwarul Kabir, deputy commissioner of Customs, said, “We have information that cocaine was being smuggled, but officials from the department of narcotics control confirmed that the seized item was heroin. We will send the samples for laboratory tests.”
Mzansi reacted to Lesedi’s execution in different ways. Some applauded Bangladesh for its strict anti-drug laws, while others called it an attack on black people. Some found opined that she walked into the country knowing the penalty of the crime. Check the reactions out below.
Dear Brazil, UAE, Thailand, China, Iran, Singapore, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, and Bangladeshi, please continue to arrest and execute these jollofinas without fear, favour, or forgiveness. They are there to destroy your society with drugs & they collude with Nigerians#LesediMolapisipic.twitter.com/908umPWmEy
— 🇿🇦 iScathulo SePhara 👞 (@ISephara) November 26, 2022
I'm not saying what she did is right but Lesedi Molapisi being executed in Bangladesh for smuggling drugs, is quite a harsh punishment. At least sentenced to 25 years in prison. An execution is taking it too far.
Light & love to her family ❤️
— Mam'Yangchaza 👑 (@MaZuluOmuhlez) November 25, 2022
If Bangladesh execute Lesedi Molapisi today for smuggling drugs.
We must retaliate and send a strong message.
How many Bangladeshis break our laws at airports and sell us fake goods? Africans must learn to fight for themselves.— Shark Razor (@SharkRayza) November 25, 2022
BREAKING NEWS
LESEDI TO DIE TODAY
A Botswana national who was arrested at Bangladesh's largest and main airport, the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) early this year with over 3kg of heroin in her luggage will be executed today. pic.twitter.com/qZNMWdQYhf
— SERAME SEREKE✌️🌨️❄️❄️⛄ (@Serame22) November 25, 2022
https://twitter.com/LelouchLive/status/1596372854475411457?t=XPlK4vbI8A-rDZF13EadXg&s=19
Instead of South Africans being angry at the fact that Lesedi Molapisi ,who comes from Botswana, made it out of SA with drugs unnoticed,they are mad that she got killed for smuggling them in Bangladesh.This says a lot about South Africans.
— . (@AphileMkhwanazi) November 26, 2022
Lesedi Molapisi's story is traumatizing, but what is more traumatizing is that she was able to pass South Africa with the drugs… @SAPoliceService@GovernmentZA
— Kelebogile (@Girly_Kepadisa) November 25, 2022
People acting like this Lesedi molapisi thing is a attack on Africa,she was found with drugs people.
— Mpho_ Only 💫💞 (@Mphow_N) November 25, 2022
Lesedi Molapisi broke the law.
End of story.
I suspect that if SA adopted execution as punishment for similar crimes we’d have less problems and less people in Sunnyside and Hillbrow.
But that’s just me and my thoughts
— T.R.O.N (@plexieym) November 25, 2022
Lesedi Molapisi’s father is a police station commander 🙆🏾♀️ There’s a newspaper headline that says she was a good girl gone bad.
The father said he learned of his God fearing daughter’s arrest via the media. Parenting is hard. https://t.co/hAihkbEpsD
— Silo (@AusiSilo) November 25, 2022
