Cynthia Thanda
Thousands of Batswana marched through the streets on Thursday, 9th April 2026, united in grief and outrage, demanding justice for Retshepile Setso Tshedu — a 13-year-old girl from Sehithwa whose death has shaken the nation to its core.
The Notwane Grounds in Gaborone overflowed with demonstrators clutching placards bearing the words “Stand for Tshepi” and “Tshepi Deserves Better,” as the chant “Justice for Tshepi” reverberated across the crowd.
Hundreds of kilometres north, the city of Francistown also held its own solidarity march, with citizens joining their voices to a chorus of national outrage.
Retshepile — known affectionately as Tshepi — was described by those who knew her as a girl full of life, ambition and promise. Her death was officially ruled a suicide, a conclusion that left many Batswana with more questions than answers.
For child protection advocates, her story has become a symbol of the countless children who suffer sexual abuse in silence, their voices unheard, their cases unresolved, their lives unprotected.
At the forefront of the campaign for justice has been Ms Kenny Mpinang, CEO of the Rea Bua Foundation, who has used her platform on social media to amplify Tshepi’s story and call on Batswana to treat gender-based violence as the national emergency it is.
It was Ms Mpinang who formally presented a petition to the Acting President Ndaba Gaolathe during Thursday’s march, listing a set of demands and requesting a government response within two weeks.
Minister of Youth and Gender Affairs, Ms Lesego Chombo, addressed the crowd and confirmed that the matter had reached the highest levels of government.
“I spoke to the Acting President, explaining to him that this is a very serious issue that we need to take heed of, and that is why I am here — because this issue is more than Tshepi.
It is about many other young girls. I am here because I understand that the petition is important, and the Acting President is here to receive it as well,” Minister Chombo said.
His Excellency Mr Gaolathe Ndaba, Acting President of the Republic of Botswana, also attended the march, accepting the petition personally from Ms Mpinang and pledging that the government would carefully examine the protesters’ demands.
For many in the crowd, Thursday’s march was deeply personal. Parents wept openly. Survivors of sexual abuse spoke of reliving their own trauma.
And for a nation that has too often looked away, Tshepi’s story — however tragic its ending, may yet mark the beginning of something different: a reckoning, and a renewed commitment to protecting Botswana’s children.
As her spirit rests in the hearts of those who marched in her name, a fragile but determined hope has taken hold that for Tshepi, and for the many like her, justice will not merely be demanded, but delivered.
