Missing Mpumalanga toddler murdered: Mother identifies body
Two toddlers from the same area have been murdered in the past few months.
The body of missing eMbalenhle, Mpumalanga, toddler Khayone Pakeni (2) was found in the veld in Ext 15 yesterday afternoon.
His devastated mother Funeka Pakeni told Ridge Times that she had identified her baby.
Khayone disappeared from their yard in Ext 16 on the morning of October 9, while his mother was in the house.
Previous searches by the police and the community yielded no results.
The police announced a task team last Friday to head up a large-scale search for Pakeni yesterday.
According to Colonel Donald Mdhluli, the police spokesperson in Mpumalanga, members of the community alerted the investigation team from the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit about a child’s body in an open field.
“The team found the remains of the child wrapped in a blanket, and the clothes matched what the missing child was wearing at the time of his disappearance,” Mdhluli said in a media statement last night.
A murder case has been opened.
Mdhluli said efforts are underway to apprehend the killer. The investigation remains ongoing.
The acting provincial commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Major General (Dr) Zeph Mkhwanazi, strongly condemned the crime and instructed the investigation team to work diligently to bring those responsible to justice.
He affirmed the dedication of the SAPS to pursue justice and expressed confidence in making a breakthrough in the investigation.
Another toddler murdered
Pakeni is the second toddler from Ext 16 murdered this year.
Four-year-old Thingo Mahlangu disappeared from the yard of his family home in April.
The two children lived near one another.
Mahlangu’s little body was found in a nearby veld weeks later.
No arrests have been made yet.
Police urge the public to come forward with any information that could assist in the investigation of Pakeni and Mahlangu’s deaths by contacting Crime Stop at 08600 10111 or sending information via the MySAPS App.
All information received will be treated confidentially and callers may opt to remain anonymous.
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