Families of murdered eMbalenhle toddlers demand justice after police inaction fuels community outrage

The situation has again sparked outrage among residents after a man allegedly confessed in public to the murders, only for the police to take no action.

The eMbalenhle SAPS were called to the area on May 2 after community members apprehended a man who had reportedly been walking the streets, shouting that he was responsible for the murders of people and children in the area.

A community member blew a whistle, summoning neighbours to see what many believed to be a breakthrough in the unsolved toddler murders.

However, by the time the police arrived, the man had already been taken away by his family to the home of a traditional healer.

The family claimed he was mentally ill and en route to receive healing when an altercation with a relative broke out, during which he made the alarming claims.

Residents of Ext 16 gathered outside the traditional healer’s home, waiting for the police and insisting that the suspect be questioned.

They cited the two unsolved toddler murders as reason enough for the police to investigate the man’s alleged confession.

However, the police reportedly dismissed the matter, telling the community the man was mentally unstable and intoxicated, and therefore not to be taken seriously.

Albertina Mgentsu, the grandmother of one of the murdered children, four-year-old Thingo Mahlangu, expressed frustration and disappointment in the police.

“I had hope that finally, my grandson would get justice and we’d find closure as a family, but when I arrived, the police just told us to ignore the man’s claims because he was mentally ill without even asking for proof from a doctor or taking him in for questioning,” said Mgentsu.

Thingo went missing on April 17 last year after playing outside with his siblings and other neighbourhood children.

Mgentsu said he briefly returned home, eating a sweet, which raised concerns since he had been warned never to accept food from strangers.

That was the last time he was seen.

Despite a large-scale search, it was only days later that a hunter found his body dumped in a veld near his home.

The second toddler, two-year-old Khayone Xavier Pakeni, disappeared from his yard on October 9, also in Ext 16.

According to reports, he had accompanied his mother to a nearby school to collect water. After they returned home, she let him play outside while she made tea. When she returned to check on him, he was gone.

His body was discovered in a field nearly two weeks later, on October 21.

Mgentsu said the last communication her family received from the police was during last year’s 16 Days of Activism campaign, when they were taken to the scene where Thingo’s body was found.

“Since then, we’ve heard nothing. We’re in the dark about the investigation. No one has been held accountable.

“It’s a year now since Thingo was murdered. I don’t sleep at night. I always see him because I am the one who raised him since he was born.

“I used to sleep with him, cook for him and protect him. I won’t rest until he gets justice, ” said Mgentsu.

The community continues to demand answers and justice, not just for Thingo and Khayone, but for the safety and dignity of all children in the area. There is growing concern that the SAPS dismissed the alleged confession too quickly and that ongoing failures in the investigation reflect broader systemic negligence.

eMbalenhle SAPS spokesperson Busi Mthethwa refuted claims by the community and the families of the murdered toddlers.

“It is untrue that the police failed to do their work. On the day the police were called to the place where it was alleged there was a man who confessed to killing people and children at Ext 16, eMbalenhle.

“The police found the woman who called and had blown the whistle to gather the community. She apologised for calling the police because she was unaware that the man was mentally ill and that he was brought to the traditional healer to be healed,” said Mthethwa.