Johannesburg - Gauteng MEC for Community Safety Faith Mazibuko, alongside members of the provincial government, led a candlelight ceremony in White City, Soweto, following the murder of two boys aged 5 and 6, who were kidnapped and had their body parts mutilated on Wednesday night.
Meanwhile, also on Sunday, ActionSA president Herman Mashaba offered a R50 000 reward for the capture of killers who murdered two Soweto boys aged 5 and 6 last Wednesday.
The two learners at the Isiseko Primary School were allegedly kidnapped by unknown men who later mutilated their bodies and dumped them in Rockville and White City.
On Sunday, Mashaba was joined by ActionSA provincial chairperson Funzi Ngobeni, former City of Joburg Public Safety MMC David Tembe, and Joburg regional chairperson Emma More and other members as they paid their last respects to the Zulu and Rabanye families, whose mutilated bodies were found in two separate places on Thursday morning.
The murder of the two Soweto boys, Nqobile Zulu and Tshiamo Rabanye, who were found mutilated on Thursday morning, sent shock waves across the province.
It is reported that Mashaba, who has long held close relationships with the community of White City, is a close family friend of the spokesperson of the boys’ families and would visit the families to pay his respect.
“As someone who grew up in this community, I am here to pay my condolences to the family and community members. When I heard about this we made an offer to the family to see if there has been any developments with the police investigation. I have made an offer with the family to ask David Tembe to work with the police so we can offer a R50 000 reward to the police. We hope this might at least trigger something and lead to the arrest of the perpetrators,” he said.
Many suspect muti-killings are the reasons for the murder of the two boys, whose mutilated bodies were found with missing private parts including lips and noses.
Mashaba said ActionSA, as a party committed to the rule of law, believed the boys’ murder again highlighted the breakdown in the SAPS, which has rendered communities defenceless.
Mashaba’s visit to the two families comes after members of the DA also conveyed their condolences to the families on Saturday, with leader John Steenhuisen saying the lives of children across the country were at risk.
“This tragedy is a clear indication that the lives of children are at risk, and therefore, it is important that we tackle the causes of crime and invest in localised law-enforcement. I would like to extend my condolences to the families of the two boys from Soweto who were brutally murdered this past week. Devolving powers and professionalising law-enforcement agencies is necessary now more than ever to tackle violent crime across our country,” Steenhuisen said.
The Star