A COMMUNITY is still shocked after a gogo was found dead in a hippo infested river after attending church.
Gogo Tlhomphego Juliet Mokoka (85) was found almost 25km away from her home on a riverbank near the bushes. This is according to her traumatised daughter Khumo Mokoka (53), who told Daily Sun that gogo Tlhomphego from Sesobe in Dwarsberg, North West was found dead in Madikwe river.
Daily Sun published the story on 2 July 2025 headlined: "Gogo (85) vanishes after church party."
Her daughter said her mum's body was found by the community on Tuesday, 1 July 2025, around 1pm. She said that her mum's body was discovered in a river infested with hippopotamus.
She said her mum went missing on Sunday, 29 June 2025, at about 4pm. This was after she attended a 50th anniversary celebration as a member of Sacred Heart Sodality at Naledi Ya Masa Roman Catholic Church in the village.
"We are grateful we found my mother although she is dead. Now we will have closure. We are heartbroken and in great pain about her death," she said.
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She said that they didn't know how she died and didn't see any visible scars. She said that they are waiting for postmortem results to know what might have caused her death. The devastated daughter said her mum loved praying, church and God.
"We are grateful to the villagers who continued searching for my mother. They are heartbroken after finding her dead," she said.
She said that her mum was still wearing the same clothes she was wearing when she disappeared. Khumo suspects her mum was wandering around the bushes. "We are still touched by her death," she said.
She said her mum is survived by five kids, six grandkids, and two great grandkids, adding that her funeral details will be announced after the postponement results.
North West police spokesman Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone confirmed that the cops in Dwarsberg have opened an inquest docket after gogo Tlhompego's body was found floating on the Madikwe Dam at about 11am on Tuesday, 01 July 2025.
"Investigation into the matter is underway, and no foul play is suspected at the moment. The elderly woman was reported missing on Monday, 30 June 2025," he said.
