Johannesburg - A 51-year-old North West man has been arrested following the discovery of the half-naked body of his ex-girlfriend’s seven-year-old daughter in bushes.
The child had been missing for two days. Her body was found with head injuries.
The man, from Letlhabile, has been charged with kidnapping and murder.
North West police spokesperson Colonel Amanda Funani said Keitumetse Tumelo was last seen alighting from a taxi on Tuesday, June 22.
She was returning home from school at the time.
However, she never made it home, Funani said.
“Her mother, with the assistance of neighbours, searched for her but the search did not yield results. Consequently, the young girl's mother reported the matter to the police who registered a missing person inquiry on Tuesday night.
“A thorough police investigations led to questioning and subsequent arrest of Keitumetse's mother’s ex-boyfriend.
”As part of investigation, a post-mortem will be conducted to determine the cause of the young girl's death. An additional rape charge might be added to the charges after the post-mortem.“
Funani said the child’s 38-year-old mother broke up with the man in May.
The reason for the break-up is unknown and police could not say what their relationship had been like.
The suspect was expected to appear in the Brits Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday. His scheduled appearance on Friday did not happen due to a Covid-19 case that was reported at court.
Provincial Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Sello Kwena condemned the incident and conveyed his condolences to the family.
He instructed Letlhabile detectives to ensure that the suspect's bail application was opposed.
In September last year, a Free State man kidnapped his ex-girlfriend’s 20-month-old daughter, killed her and then hanged himself.
Police said at the time that the mother, Khorny Mpembe, had told them that her ex, Chepete Petrus Mngomezulu, 33, arrived at her home in Petrus Steyn just after midnight on August 30.
He demanded she open the door. She went outside to talk to Chepete but he allegedly began assaulting her.
The mother ran to neighbours to get help but Chepete took the baby and ran away.
A few days later, Chepete was found hanging from the roof of one of the houses on the farm where he was an employee.
The child’s body was found between trees near the house where Chepete’s body was found.
IOL