Johannesburg - Police have confirmed the arrest of two people suspected of murdering and mutilating the bodies of Nqobizitha Zulu and Tshiamo Rabanye.
The children were killed after they were kidnapped in White City, Jabavu, last week Wednesday. Their bodies were found the next day.
Police, acting on an investigation at the house of one of the boys, said a 50-year-old woman and her 39-year-old partner were the suspects behind what members of the community believe to be an act of muti-related killings.
On Wednesday, police spokesperson Brigadier Mavela Masondo said a team, which was put together by the provincial police commissioner in Gauteng, Lieutenant General Elias Mawela, to investigate the two murders, has eventually cracked the case following the discovery of body parts at the residence of the woman.
“Yesterday, April 25, 2023, following a forensic investigation at the boys’ homes, the team brought in two suspects for questioning. The duo has since been charged with murder. They will appear before the Protea Magistrate’s Court on Friday, April 28, 2023.”
On Thursday, April 20, the community of Soweto woke up to the gruesome discovery of the bodies of two boys.
The five- and six-year-olds, together with a third friend, were kidnapped in Soweto on Wednesday as they played in a park. The third friend managed to escape, while the other two reportedly suffered unimaginable horror, having their body parts possibly removed while they were alive, which is the traditional method for muti killings.
Nqobizitha Zulu, five, and Tshiamo Rabanye, six, were found stabbed. Their throats were slit and their genitals, noses and lips were missing.
In a circulated voice note from the community, a neighbour is heard saying a plastic bag, containing what appears to be the children’s body parts, had been thrown from one of the yards into her yard.
“I was at home while others were at the memorial service, and the police came to search my neighbour’s home. The granny of the child was found with a plastic bag with body parts in it. The police dogs also found the granny’s belongings in the same plastic bag. We do not know if the gogo is involved or not. The community has threatened to burn down the house of this granny. She has been arrested,” the neighbour said.
The Star