Man gets 20 years for killing north girl (6)
The child must have been crying by then and maybe telling him that he was hurting her with tears running down her face. But he still kept on until she was quiet.
The family of a six-year-old Soshanguve girl said it was unhappy with the 20-year sentence handed to her killer.
George Shapo (63) was found guilty of killing Mbali Mkhize in 2019.
Shapo was found guilty of murder and defeating the ends of justice on 4 February, according to NPA spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana.
Shapo was sentenced to 20 years for murder and two years for defeating the ends of justice at the Pretoria High Court. His sentences will run concurrently.
Mkhize’s body was found dumped in the bushes near block PP2 in Soshanguve on Christmas Eve in 2019.
Following the discovery of the body, Shapo was attacked by upset community members before he was rescued by police.
Great grandmother of the child, Thabsile Mkhize, said the pain still haunts her and that the scars Shapo left them with is something they can never get over.
“Sometimes when you see children going to school you think she could be also going to school as well. It is not easy on us. Her mother is also struggling to get over this.
“Her grandmother has been sick since the incident. We have taken her to the clinic, hospital, traditional healers but nothing has worked. Every time she thinks about her grandchild, tears just run down her face.”
Thulisile said they cannot challenge the sentence imposed by the court, but if it was up to her, Shapo should have been sentenced to life imprisonment.
“What he did is painful, he took the child and went to do whatever he did with her. The child must have been crying by then and maybe telling him that he was hurting her with tears running down her face. But he still kept on until she was quiet. He then took her and threw her body in that veldt.
“Does a person like that deserve to come back to the community?
“The 20 years he got is not enough because he can still survive it and get out. He should not come back into the community.”
Great grandfather to the child, Philmon Mkhize, said it still brought the family a lot of pain when they pass the area where her body was found.
“You just imagine what he could have done to her, it brings a lot of tears. You start imagining how he strangled her. The pain I feel is too much. I think if I see him, I can even take a gun and shoot him. I would even go to jail because of that.”
Philmon said the only way to stop the killing of children was to impose a death sentence or kill the perpetrators the same way they killed the victim.
Do you have more information about the story?
Please send us an email to editorial@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram
