One of the men arrested on the eve of Women’s Month for the murder of five-year-old Kaithlyn Wilson is her mother’s ex-boyfriend.
Kaithlyn’s body was found just hours after she had been reported missing on Sunday in Riebeek West, about 25km north-east of Malmesbury in the Swartland.
Her mother Yvonne Wilson said she and the suspect broke-up more than a year ago, and “he has been trying to make my life hard ever since. He would always insult me and be verbally and physically abusive. Even during the relationship”.
Kaithlyn’s grandmother Sofia Wilson said the child was found with her eyes and nose covered with black sellotape, and her mouth stuffed with a facecloth.
Two men were arrested on Sunday night. Police spokesperson Noloyiso Rwexana said: “Two suspects, aged 19 and 30, will appear in the Malmesbury Magistrate’s Court on August 1, (to) face charges of murder.”
Sofia Wilson told the Cape Times at the family home yesterday Kaithlyn “came to me on Sunday morning and asked for a R2, like she always does”. She gave her the money and the child went to play a few houses away as she always did.
“That was the last time I saw her,” Sofia Wilson said.
“When Yvonne came home from work, she asked where Kaithlyn was and I told her she was playing outside. But when I checked, she wasn’t there.”
Pink Ladies, an organisation for missing children, reported that “it is alleged that a boy saw her (Kaithlyn) walking towards the bushes with (a man)”.
This led to a search by community members with police in tow. Her body was found later that evening by police at a nearby farm.
“Yvonne used to date this guy but they have not been together for more than a year now. I saw him and asked where Kaithlyn was. He said to me ‘are you implying that I killed her?’.
"At that time, there was no confirmation of her death and her body wasn’t found. When we saw her body, it didn’t look good. I asked why her head was swollen. We were then told her eyes and nose were wrapped with black sellotape and there was a facecloth in her mouth,” she said, bursting into tears.
“She always wanted to help around the house and even when I did the laundry, she would want to help hang it up. I explained that she was too small but she wanted to help anyway.
“She was like my own child. Her place next to me is now empty and the bowl she ate from is now also empty,” Sofia Wilson sobbed.
Kaithlyn’s father Johnie Cloete works in Mamre, and said he hurried to the house as soon he got the news.
“A jail sentence will never be enough for the pain and hurt caused us. She was my everything. I’m going to miss my Pikkewyntjie (little penguin),” he said.
Rwexana said the community played a key role in apprehending the suspects.
“Partnership policing paid off yesterday when the community co-operated with the police by bringing to them an alleged perpetrator to be arrested for the murder. After following up on information, another suspect was also arrested in connection with the same murder.
“Her lifeless body was found with the assistance of the community at a local farm at 5pm.”
Police condemned the killing ahead of Women’s Month.
“The SAPS management of the Western Cape are deeply concerned and disturbed by the gruesome killing of children in the province and, with Women’s Month approaching, it was reiterated that crimes against women and children remain a priority in the SAPS all year round and that the perpetrators of these crimes will be hunted down mercilessly, to face the full might of the law.”
Kaithlyn was the only child of Yvonne Wilson, 24, and the only grandchild of Sofia
Wilson.