Durban - In another incident eerily similar to the murder of Miguel Louw, the body of a 10-year-old girl has been found decomposed three weeks after she went missing, and an adult close to the family has been arrested.
Grade 4 pupil Siphumelele Mzimba went missing on June 13. According to her father, Mlungisi Nkala, 29, Siphumelele left home to visit Zandile Nsele, a hairdresser, who lives five minutes away from the family’s home.
Later that day, the family received a message demanding R20 000 for her release.
A few days later, the 39-year-old Nsele was arrested, but the girl was not found.
Nsele was arrested in Gauteng and appeared in the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court on June 20, where she was remanded.
Last Thursday, Siphumelele’s body was discovered by her father, in bush near Nsele’s house.
Speaking to the Daily News, Nkala said police arrived at the family’s home in Nazareth, Pinetown, last Thursday and told him that a hole had been dug near Nsele’s home. They invited him to come along on their investigation.
Mlungisi Nkala said his family was still battling to come to terms with the gruesome manner in which his daughter was killed. Picture: Doctor Ngcobo/African News Agency (ANA)
“While near her house, there was a strong stench and we all wondered about it, but it seemed to be stronger going into a bush near the house. Because the officers I was with were female, I went into this bush and that was where I saw the body of a child lying there, with the hands and feet tied,” he said.
Nkala said he knew that this was his daughter’s body from the clothes on it, even though it was starting to decompose.
“Only the bottom half of her body from the waist was intact. It was decomposed from the top of her head to her waist. It was bad. It was not just decomposed; parts were taken. But police told us the doctor would let us know tomorrow which parts were missing,” he said.
Nkala said on the day Siphumelele went missing, the family approached Nsele, knowing the child had left home for her house. However, Nsele told them Siphumelele had never arrived.
“On that day, we looked all over Nazereth and she was looking with us as someone who was concerned. The following day she was gone, and when we tried phoning, her phone was off,” he said.
He said he positively identified his daughter’s body at the mortuary on Friday, but the family was still battling with how to let her 7-year-old brother know that she was dead.
“We’ve told him his sister has gone to visit relatives for the school holidays,” said Nkala.
Police spokesperson Captain Nqobile Gwala said that following the discovery of the body, a charge of murder was added to the one of kidnapping that Nsele already faced.
“We are awaiting DNA tests results to confirm the identity of the body. The suspect is due back in court tomorrow.”
This happens as the family of Miguel wait for the trial of his alleged murderer to begin in three months.
It’s alleged that 9-year-old Miguel was lured from school by Mohamed Ebrahim Vahed, who was known to the family, on July 18 last year.
His body was discovered three weeks later, with the same clothes he was wearing when he went missing, in bushes metres away from Vahed’s home in Phoenix.
The trial of Vahed has been set down from October 21 until November 8, at the Durban High Court.