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ANGRY MOB VISITS COP SHOP OVER MISSING CHILD

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MBABANE – ‘‘We are fed up!’’

This was a statement voiced out by an angry mob of 35 men who visited the Nhlangano Police Station yesterday, regarding the incident of a minor who went missing a couple of months back and has still not been found. 

The mob decried police complacency in arresting three people suspected to be behind the minor’s abduction.

The three-year-old girl went missing three months ago and has still not been found.

The toddler, Yenzokuhle Mkhonta, disappeared in July at Mphatheni, situated under Mtsambama Constituency, in the Shiselweni Region. The angry mob alleged that it was not the first incident of a child mysteriously disappearing only to be found killed, mutilated and in a decomposed state. The child went missing on July 8, 2020 when her mother, Tanele Ndlangamandla, went to fetch firewood, leaving behind the minor with other children, with the eldest aged seven. 

Ndlangamandla said when they returned from fetching the firewood, they found the child missing.

“When I confronted the eldest child about Yenzokuhle’s disappearance, she said she was asleep inside the kitchen but when we went to check, we were welcomed by an opened door.  

Disappearance

I frantically searched for my child and spread word to neighbours about her disappearance, but our efforts proved futile. We reported the matter to the police. I am still traumatised to this day,” she narrated.

Ndlangamandla said she was praying God would keep her child safe wherever she was kept. 

“Since her mysterious disappearance, I haven’t had peaceful nights. I pray to God that my child is found alive and those behind this despicable act face justice. I would like to thank everyone who has been praying with us and the community for their effort of relentlessly searching for my child,” she said.

Sabelo Simelane, a senior resident of the community, who coordinated the visit to the police station, said they had submitted three names of suspects to the police but nothing had been done so far. He said after countless efforts were made to find the missing child, they came across a suspicious ‘grave’ in one of the forests situated within the community. “We have come today to ask what has been done by the police in apprehending the culprits behind the disappearance of the child. 

This is the second child to go missing without a trace, with the first one found dead and mutilated. It hurts that the ritual killings are happening in our community. Today, we organised men from most homesteads in this area to confront the police about this matter,” added the resident.

Escalating

Simelane said as parents, they would exercise sanity by not resorting to mob justice but engaging the police to resolve these escalating killings of children within the community. He said the most disheartening thing was that the police were not exercising urgency in bringing those suspected to have committed the crime to the investigation processes. 

“We want to put a stop to these killings. Enough is enough and we are fed up. The family won’t find closure until the matter is resolved. We are also affected as we have children,” said the disgruntled resident.

Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati confirmed the visit to the police station yesterday by the residents. 

Aggrieved

Vilakati said senior officers accompanied the aggrieved residents to where the suspicious ‘grave’ was situated, only to find a goat necklaced with sashes buried there.

“We understand their anger but we are doing everything in our power to find the missing child. We appeal to the public to forward any information that will assist police in their investigations,” Vilakati said. When quizzed on their findings when they dug the suspicious grave, Simelane said they were shocked to learn that what was buried there was a goat necklaced with sashes and needles. 

He said they were still to continue with their search. “It was a suspicious grave and we were shocked to find a goat but we believe what was done in that grave was for ritual purposes. 

We will intensify our search until we are satisfied that we have done everything in our powers to find the child,” said Simelane.

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