Kimberley - The naked body of a five-year-old girl was found with multiple stab wounds not far from the Galeshewe Police Station on Sunday morning.
A screwdriver was found about 10 metres from the ditch where two community members made the gruesome discovery. It is possible that the girl was raped before she was murdered.
Furious community members were on Sunday baying for blood of the suspect at the Galeshewe Police Station following the arrest of a man in connection with the incident.
The five-year-old Rachel Berandt’s body was found at a time when the police have adopted a no nonsense approach to crime ahead of the festive season and as the nation embarks on the 16 Days of Activism campaign.
Solomon Moletsani, 27, was devastated by the death of his daughter, especially because the man suspected of having committed the murder and rape was a family friend and a well-known member within the community.
“I finished working at 1pm on Saturday and came home and found my elder brother and the suspect drinking at my place while Rachel was playing in the yard,” Moletsani told the DFA.
“I went to lie down for a while and a little later the suspect came in and sat down on the couch. I could hear him fiddling through my things and when I woke up to investigate, I caught him trying to steal my DVDs. I chased him away and went to go lie down again.
“A little while later I went looking for Rachel but she was nowhere to be found.”
Moletsani said he was overcome with a sense of panic and immediately took to the streets in search of his daughter.
“I searched the neighbourhood asking if anybody had seen my daughter and some residents said that they had seen her in various parts of Bloemanda. I was also told that she was seen with the suspect on his way to the hostels.”
Moletsani said that when his daughter had still not returned home later that evening, he went to the suspect’s shack and was told that he (the suspect) had gone to visit a friend.
Moletsani and a friend eventually found the suspect alone.
“He told us that he had not taken my daughter and that he had last seen her unharmed in a nearby ally.”
The pair then allegedly assaulted the suspect before handing him over to the police.
The Galeshewe police confirmed that a case of murder has been opened after the body of a girl was found on Sunday morning in Galeshewe.
“The circumstances surrounding her death are unknown at this stage, but an autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of death. One suspect has been arrested and he is expected to appear in court soon,” the police said.
Angry residents quickly gathered at the police station demanding that the suspect be handed over to them.
“How dare this monster do this to one of our children,” one woman asked. “We are not safe as long as people like this are allowed to commit these acts and are then protected by the police. Seeing this man go to trial is not justice. Why should he be allowed to tell his story when Rachel was not shown any mercy?”
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