MAANDAGSHOEK – The remains of a three-year-old girl, Dimpho Mohlala have been found on a mountain in Swale Village.
Dimpho disappeared from a local crèche, Lethamaga on February 4 this year and was never seen again. Teachers only learnt she had gone missing during lunch at school, and it was reported that the gates had been locked at all times.
Villagers tried in vain to find the child, but not even sangomas could help them in their quest to find her. Steelburger/Lydenburg News learnt that her parents Thomas (46) and Dikeledi (34) were also chased from the village after community members allegedly consulted sangomas and were told that the parents might have been involved in the kidnapping for muti purposes. The villagers torched three houses and a spaza shop which had belonged to Dimpho’s relatives, accusing them of being involved in her disappearance.
On May 10, three men, who were fetching wood from the mountain, saw the bones of the little girl and alerted the Mecklenburg police. According to the Mecklenburg SAPS spokesman, Const Elias Setati, they found only the remains of the deceased. However, family members were called to identify the clothes their daughter had worn when she went missing.
“We request anyone with information that could lead to an arrest to contact detective commander Maj Martin Seabi on 015-615-0204 or 076-918-5331.
Setati added that the investigations into the girl’s disappearance and death were still continuing. Kamogelo Mohlala (28), the deceased’s uncle, confirmed the clothes had belonged to his niece. “We are a bit relieved that her remains had been found, but still heartbroken to lose our beloved girl. I pray day and night that the perpetrators will be arrested and pay for their evil deeds.”
Mohlala added, “The past three months were difficult for us. The girl’s parents are still traumatised.” The family said they were waiting for a report from the forensics department before they could arrange the burial. The police said the autopsy was done to verify if the remains belonged to Dimpho.
