Pretoria – A 24-year-old man is expected to appear in the Masoyi Periodical Court on charges of murder as well as defeating the ends of justice after the skeletal remains of a 15-year-old girl who vanished “without a trace” last year were discovered.
Mpumalanga police spokesperson Brigadier Selvy Mohlala said the human skeleton was discovered in bushes at Nkanini Trust near Masoyi outside White River on Sunday morning.
“According to the report, children from an initiation school were in the bushes looking for some wooden sticks when they stumbled upon the skeleton. Police were then alerted, and upon their arrival, all other role-players were then summoned to the scene,” said Mohlala.
“A forensic unit of the police later confirmed the skeleton as that of a human being. The members also found some clothes believed to be of the victim during the discovery.”
An inquest case was opened but was later changed to murder as detectives probed the matter diligently.
“Police connected their dots and discovered there was a little girl who went missing in December 2021 and reported as such by her family in the beginning of January 2022. Preliminary investigation by the team of experts in the investigation field revealed that the skeleton could be that of the 15-year-old girl who vanished without a trace,” said Mohlala.
The missing teenager’s family also believe it was their relative’s remains after they identified the dress found at the scene.
“Whilst investigating the case, a woman stormed into the police station at Masoyi on 15 August 2022, claiming that some members of the community wanted to kill her after being accused of shielding the suspect. Police managed to calm the situation while requesting members of the public to leave everything in the hands of the police,” said Mohlala.
“The team received crucial information in their probe from a member from the Community Policing Forum (CPF), Community in Blue to be specific, regarding the whereabouts of the suspect.”
The details were followed up on, which culminated in the arrest of the 24-year-old at Malelane with the support of Malelane SAPS.
Police believe the suspect was attempting to evade the authorities when he was cornered and arrested.
Meanwhile, provincial commissioner of police in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela, has welcomed the breakthrough and condemned the targeting of defenceless women and girls in the area.
“It is a shameful thing that a similar incident of this nature occurred in the same policing area of Masoyi where the little girl, Buntle Mashiyane, was brutally murdered recently,” said Manamela.
“We never expected that such an atrocity can be experienced by this community in a short space of time. This is a moral issue, and we urge faith-based organisations as well as traditional leaders to join hands with us to fight the scourge.”
IOL