Johannesburg - The family of the murdered 10-year-old boy who was found burnt and possibly raped claim the police ignored them when they first reported him missing.
The family of Siphamandla Madikane have disputed police claims that although the boy went missing on Sunday, the family waited a day to open a missing persons case.
Police spokesman Captain Tsekiso Mofokeng was quoted on Tuesday saying he did not know why Siphamandla’s family opened a case the day after he went missing.
The boy’s sister and neighbours who helped search for him accused the police of not helping them when they initially reported him missing.
Siphamandla’s sister Bongiwe, 23, said her mother and the boy had gone to a nearby shop on Sunday afternoon to buy paraffin as there was no power in the area.
They live in Ramaphosa informal settlement in Ekurhuleni.
There, Siphamandla met his friends and stayed to play.
When it got late, his mother Nokukhanya went to look for him. She went to each friend’s house but did not find him.
The boys all told her the same thing: a man who had been watching them play for some time had approached them.
He asked if one of them would go with him to call his girlfriend. Whoever agreed would be given R5.
Siphamandla’s three friends refused. Siphamandla went with the stranger.
He never came back.
Bongiwe said Nokukhanya then called the police, but they never came.
Neighbour Nomthandazo Vuma said Nokukhanya arrived at her home the next day at 5.30am and they caught a taxi to Reiger Park police station, opened a missing person case.
They also complained that police had not arrived the night before when they were called.
“After opening the case, the police said they would follow us. We went back home and, together with the community, started looking for Siphamandla.
“At around 10am, when the police had still not arrived, we went again to the police station with the community. The station commander released only one police officer with a dog,” the 39-year-old woman said.
Nathaniel Maleho lives a few kilometres from the Madikanes. He was not aware the boy was missing and was, therefore, not part of the searching party.
At about 2pm he went to the bushes not far from his house to relieve himself.
He saw legs sticking out of the bushes.
Terrified, he ran to get two local men, and they returned to the scene.
It was Siphamandla.
A sock had been stuffed into his mouth. His pants and underwear were pulled down. He had been stabbed in the neck, set alight and pushed into the bushes.
The police’s Mofokeng said an investigation was being carried out to determine the actions of the police in the matter. Some officers had told him on Tuesday that the family had called the police station on Sunday and that they had responded.
“However, we need to confirm that they indeed went out… we can’t just take their word for it.”
Police suspect that Siphamandla was raped because a condom was found next to his body.
The Star