HIGHVELD – In the wake of several children being murdered or kidnapped in Mpumalanga, the provincial police commissioner, Lt Gen Bethuel Zuma, pleaded with the community to aid the police in ending the murder of children.
“The police are currently looking for a 13-year-old boy, Katlego Marite, who was reportedly kidnapped while playing with friends at Tasbet Park, eMalahleni on Sunday, 20 May.
“It is reported that the teenager was kidnapped by three men travelling in a gold Toyota Corolla with no registration number. Marite’s friends rushed to inform the victim’s parents who in turn alerted the police.
“A call is hereby made to anyone with information that may assist in tracing the perpetrators as well as finding the victim, to contact Capt Africa Nyathi at 071 352 6007.”
Locally, the police are still looking for information that could lead to the arrest of the murderer of Lerato Nkutha (11) who disappeared on 7 May in eMbalenhle. Her body was found on 9 May.
Also read: [BREAKING NEWS] Missing girl (11) found murdered in Extension 15, eMbalenhle
Anyone with information can contact Det Capt Sakhile Mlotshwa at 071 738 4148.
Another girl disappeared in eMbalenhle on Friday 25 May. A large scale search party consisting of police, safety officers and concerned residents combed the area where the child went missing.
She was eventually found unharmed at the house of a family friend. Although everyone was glad that she was found, it fuelled a debate on social media that parents should be more informed of the whereabouts of their children.
Lt Gen Zuma said in a press statement that a few weeks before Lerato’s murder, 13-year-old Gabisile Shabane, who was living with albinism, and her 15-month-old niece who was probably mistaken for another toddler who had the same condition (albinism), were kidnapped and later found murdered in Vosman near eMalahleni in April. Four people are in custody.
A 10-year-old girl, Bawinile Khoza’s, lifeless body was dumped in a veld in Snake Park Section Mmametlhake near Siyabuswa in December. The little girl whose body had sustained serious injuries, including the removal of her tongue, had disappeared two days earlier from her parental home.
Two suspects, Messrs Job Ratsela (45) and Calvin Maluleka (54), were arrested two days later in connection with her murder and have been remanded in custody ever since.
A third suspect, 39-year-old Phillemon Mailula was arrested on 18 May, after being linked to the murder through DNA. He appeared in the Mbibane Magistrate’s Court on 21 May and was remanded in custody.
Lt Gen Zuma said in a statement to the press that other incidents have been reported where children had wandered off and were later found dead in rivers and disused sewage systems in the province.
He said some kind of negligence on the side of parents is often the case.
Statistics released in the South African Parliament last week showed that at least 41 per cent of all reported rape cases over the past three years involved children. In the same period, more than 2 600 children were murdered.
The National Child Protection week is from 27 May to 3 June and a campaign aimed at this time is aptly called “I am NOT a Number, #IAM…”. This is to show that abused children should not be considered just another number.
Members of the community with information on any of the above cases, can call the SAPS Crime Stop number 08600 1011.
Also read: Child Protection Week: What you need to know
