6 years later and still no answers for Lee Mentoor’s family

It has been six years since the disappearance of a three-year-old shook not only the community of Roodekrans but also South Africans as a whole.

Saturday, March 16, 2018, is a day that will forever be etched into the memory of Kaylah Mentoor, as this was the day her son, Liyaqat ‘Lee’ Mentoor, disappeared without a trace. Lee was left in the care of Mentoor’s then-boyfriend, Onke Mashinini while she was at work, and has never been seen again.

Mashinini received a life sentence for the murder of Lee in September 2019, but the Mentoor family has never received clear answers as to what happened to the child.

• Also read: #HelpFindLee: Roodepoort toddler missing

This past Saturday (March 16), family, friends and community members gathered in the street where Mashinini lived, and put up flowers, blue and yellow balloons as well as a poster with messages for Lee. The reason for gathering at that specific place is because it was the last place Lee was seen.

Mentoor said, “I still do not have any answers as to where my baby is or what happened to him. This lack of closure has affected my life tremendously, I am unable to move on or get over it. I will always wonder where Liyaqat is. I just want to know where my son is; if he is dead, I want to be able to go to a burial site and pay my respects. If he is still alive, I want to spend birthdays with him. This year would have been his 10th birthday, and I would just like to see how much he has grown and how he looks now; all I have is my imagination.”

• Also read: WATCH: Light a candle in honour of Liyaqat ‘Lee’ Mentoor

She added that the whole ordeal has made her doubt if she deserves to be her mother.

“After Liyaqat went missing, I fell pregnant twice, but lost both babies, and I wonder if I am not meant to be a mother?”

• Also read: VIDEOS: #JusticeForLee Update: Emotions run high as sentencing is postponed

Heidi Botha, Lee’s grandmother, added, “The past six years have been difficult to see her going through this, and not being able to do much to alleviate her pain. I have three children who are still with me, which is not the case for Kaylah. Although we try not to live in the past, the disappearance of Joslin Smith has opened up old wounds for us.”

Botha added that they just want Mashinini to give them answers, “We just want him to admit to what he has done with Lee; the past is the past, you can do nothing to change it. We just want answers so we can get closure and move and heal.”

Both Mentoor and Botha concluded by thanking family, friends, and community members for all their support during the six-year journey.

“Without the support from everyone, we would not be able to keep standing. We appreciate all of you.”