Cape Town - Police have confirmed that the decomposed body of a child found in Imizamo Yethu, Hout Bay in December was that of Anothando Mhlobo, who went missing while playing outside his home in August.
The body of the 3-year-old, Mhlobo, was discovered by a 44-year old man in a rocky, sandy area while digging for sand in an open field, about 100m away from his (Mhlobo's) home.
Police spokesperson FC van Wyk said the DNA results were received and it was confirmed that the samples that were taken from the child's body that was found in Hout Bay in December were a match to Mhlobo's DNA.
Van Wyk said the family was informed accordingly with the support of social cohesion for counselling.
Hout Bay Community Policing Forum (CPF) chairperson Anthony Chemaly, said they were still not sure whether it was a murder or not, however, they were hoping to get closure soon.
"There is a lot of anger within the community right now, people want closure, and we are hoping for more investigation on the matter," said Chemaly.
Van Wyk said the post-mortem is still continuing to determine the cause of death, saying no arrests have been made so far, and the investigations continued.
After Mhlobo went missing in August, the community rallied around efforts to find him, dedicating time and resources, through long nights and days, searched for him with helicopters and sniffer dogs helped by people from all over Cape Town.
Kim Worrall, chief executive of a non-profit organisation Amoyo from Hout Bay, had been active in the search since Mhlobo went missing, sharing live videos calling for people in the seaside suburb to assist. She thanked everyone who assisted during the search.
Worrall said although it was a tragic outcome, she believed that "he (Mhlobo) knows that he was cared about, prayed about and he mattered“.
The Western Cape Commissioner for Children, Christina Nomdo, said: "We must turn the tide of violence against children by doing all in our power as adults to keep our eye on children as a prevention strategy."
Anyone with information can call Sergeant Smith on 083 522 1075, Hout Bay police station on 021 791 8660, Sergeant Njara on 082 302 8370 or the Crime Stop number 08600 10111, or via the MySAPS App.
Cape Argus