The Kalahari Killings

A true-life murder mystery of two British airmen in Bostwana—and the extraordinary trial that followed that changed the lives of an entire peopleOn October 4, 1943, two RAF pupil pilots, Walter Adamson and Gerald Edwards, took off from Kumalo in what is now Zimbabwe. Some time later they were forced to land their aircraft north of the British Protectorate of Botswana. They climbed out unscathed, left a note, and disappeared. What happened next would entail ethno-archaeological investigation, a sensational murder trial that was reported around the world—with a sensational outcome—and a profound change in the lives of the Tyua Bush people. The airmen had been murdered by bullet and axe. But why? The leader of the group of eight killers charged, Twai Twai Molele, was known to be a witchdoctor and a bottle containing what was probably human fat was found in his possession. Following the trial the Tyua's guns were confiscated and their ageless nomadic hunting life began to die out. The murders offered an excuse for British-protected ranchers to take their lands.