South African Police Service (SAPS) officers in Gauteng have launched a search for a suspect or suspects responsible for the murder of two young children in Johannesburg, and have appealed to the community for information which could help lead to the arrest of whoever was responsible, the SAPS in the province said on Saturday.
This followed the discovery of the bodies of the two children in Orange Farm in the south of Johannesburg early on Saturday morning, Gauteng SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Mathapelo Peters said in a statement.
At around 2.30am on Saturday morning, a 24-year-old mother arrived at the Orange Farm SAPS to report her six-year-old son and an eight-year-old girl, a family friend, missing, Peters said.
Police officers launched an immediate search for the two missing children who, according to the mother, were last seen at about 7pm on Friday evening when they were apparently walking home from a hair salon in the area.
Police received a call at about 5am about the body of a child found on a street in Orange Farm, and shortly after that a passer-by discovered the second child's body about 100 metres from where the first one was found. The two children were certified dead by paramedics, Peters said.
"The motive for the killing of the little boy and the little girl is yet to be determined, while a post-mortem will be conducted to establish the exact cause of death."
The investigation into this double murder would be prioritised and escalated to the SAPS provincial investigating unit, in line with the SAPS policy to prioritise the investigation of crimes committed against women, children, and other vulnerable persons.
Anyone who may have information that could lead to the apprehension of the perpetrator/s is urged to report to the nearest police station or to call the Crime Stop number 086-00-10111.
"Police are calling on parents to prioritise the safety of their children at all times, and to always be aware of their children's whereabouts. Children walking in the streets at night must be prohibited, otherwise they must be accompanied [by an adult]," Peters said.
African News Agency