Kimberley - The autopsy report on a 4-year-old autistic child, Nhlanhla Mnguni, whose body was found in a drain three weeks after he went missing in Warrenton, has revealed that the boy was murdered.
Mnguni’s father, Thulani Sibiya, confirmed on Monday that the autopsy report, which the family received last week, had shown that the boy had been murdered.
“Although I cannot delve into the details of the report, I can confirm that it shows that his body had physical injuries, which led to his death. It appears as though he was murdered somewhere and later dumped at the scene where his body was found near the N12 highway,” Sibiya said.
He said the police were investigating the murder.
Northern Cape police spokesman, Lieutenant Sergio Kock, confirmed that they were investigating “a murder case in regard to Mnguni’s death”.
He did not provide further details on the autopsy report.
Sibiya revealed this information during a media briefing to thank the people of the Northern Cape for supporting him and his girlfriend, Nokuthula Mnguni, following their son’s disappearance and the tragic discovery of his body.
“We thank everyone who was with us and supported us and our families from the time we started looking for Nhlanhla until his body was found.”
The 4-year-old was buried last weekend.
“Thank you very much. We are not worthy of your support. To any parent who goes through what we experienced, we wish them the same support that every Northern Cape resident gave to us. No amount of money or material wealth could make up for both the physical and emotional support that you all gave to us,” Sibiya and Mnguni’s mother, Nokuthula Mnguni, said.
Mnguni went missing on May 10 shortly after his father loaded the family’s bags inside the vehicle as they were preparing to travel back to their home in Bloemfontein. They were in Warrenton to attend Sibiya’s older sister’s lobola negotiations in the town.
“It has been a very painful and difficult journey for both of us as well as for our families. We have been together for seven years and four of those years have been the most beautiful years of our lives because of Nhlanhla’s presence.”
“Although he never spoke because of autism, his presence completed our lives,” Sibiya said.
As he was speaking, Nokuthula battled to conceal the pain of losing a child and the tears streamed down her face.
“We loved him so much,” Nokuthula said as she sobbed and clung to her boyfriend for support.
Among some of the many people that Sibiya and Nokuthula thanked included the province’s police.
“Once they heard of our son’s disappearance, they deployed all their resources to Warrenton to search for him.”
He added that the provincial and local government institutions “went out of their way to assist in the search”.
“We also thank every resident in the province, including the people of Warrenton, church leaders, and the funeral undertakers and both our families for supporting us. We would not be if it had not been for them,” Sibiya said.
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