Polokwane - South African Police Service (SAPS) Limpopo acting commissioner Maj-Gen Samuel Manala has condemned the killing of an 11-year-old girl at Ga-Marishane village in the Nebo policing area at Groblersdal, Limpopo police said on Saturday.
Thandi Mampane apparently left home to go to school school on Thursday and never returned home, Colonel Moatshe Ngoepe said.
"The missing person incident was reported to the police and a search operation ensued until her lifeless body was found in the bushes outside this village [on Friday]. The cause of death on this young girl is not clear at this stage, but the ongoing police investigations will tell.
"The suspicion and allegations that the deceased might have been raped before she was killed will be confirmed by the post-mortem examination still to be conducted."
Anyone with information that could lead to the arrest of the suspect/s involved in the murder should contact Detective Warrant Officer Ernest Mogawane at 082-348-7949 or 013-264-0005, or the crime stop number 086-00-10111 or the nearest police station, Ngoepe said.
"Members of the community who are still perpetrating these type of heinous acts targeting young children are going to be dealt with mercilessly and without compromise," Manala said.