Dissident Patrick Karegeya had fled to South Africa, but was murdered in a well-planned attack. Now an inquest into his death threatens to bring unwelcome attention to Rwanda’s feted leader. By Michela Wrong
In five-star hotels, the “Do Not Disturb” sign exerts a strange kind of magic. Privacy is the rich man’s prerequisite, and staff are trained never to enter a room when the sign dangles off the door handle, whatever they suspect might be taking place within: a session with a professional escort, a drug deal, an alcoholic binge. None of their business.
The Michelangelo hotel, in Johannesburg’s upmarket Sandton district, looks a tad dated these days, but it is still one of the most popular meeting places for African government ministers, celebrities and local VIPs – the kind of establishment that prides itself on its discretion. So when, on 1 January 2014, a young Rwandan accountant called David Batenga turned up at the Michelangelo and demanded that staff open room 905, the initial reaction was blank refusal. The guest had hung out the “Do Not Disturb” sign, the receptionist told him.
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