Still no sign of little Lerato

KATLEHONG – It was on 28 April 2014 when the 50-year-old Thabo Nkosi allegedly disappeared with his girlfriend’s 7-year-old daughter, Lerato. This happened soon after Nkosi allegedly had a fight with his girlfriend, the 25-year-old Matseleng Mohomane.

Police believe that his girlfriend ran away from her boyfriend after the fight that night and sought shelter with friends in Vosloorus. The next morning Nkosi allegedly went to Matseleng’s aunt, which is not far from his home in Nhlapho Section, where the child was staying with her grand-parents. He apparently claimed that he had been sent by Matseleng to fetch little Lerato, who was then 6 years old.

According to Dimakatso Keswa, the missing girl’s guardian, when Nkosi arrived at the house and told them that he had been sent by the mother of the young girl, the family had no reason to refuse to hand her over to the man who had left with her mother the previous night.

After several days, the Mohomane family approached Nkosi and demanded that he return the little girl, since they also had not seen the girl’s mother since the night the couple left together. Nkosi, however, could not produce the little girl and instead told members of the Mohomane family that the child was staying with his “sister” in Soweto.

When the family went to Soweto to enquire about the missing child from Nkosi’s sister, the woman denied any knowledge of the little missing girl.

Finally, the distraught Mahomane family then reported the matter to the police and Nkosi was questioned and detained for abducting the missing child.

Kathorus MAIL joined the family at the Palm Ridge Court on the 13th of May this year, where Nkosi was due to appear in connection with the missing (now 7-year-old) Lerato.

After Nkosi made a brief appearance, the case was adjourned to the 20th of May, seemingly because the case docket was missing. When the suspect appeared in court on 20 May, Nkosi’s pro deo defence attorney was not in court and the case had to again be postponed, this time to the 6th of July.

When Kathorus MAIL finally managed to trace Matseleng Mohomane, the mother of the missing young girl, she too painted a gory picture of the man described as an “abusive” lover who turned her life into misery by refusing to disclose the whereabouts of the missing child.

Nkosi’s uncle, Thabo Ndlovu, also of Nhlapho Section, told Kathorus MAIL he was also in the dark about what his nephew may have done with the little girl. “Unfortunately I don’t know anything about the missing child, or where she is right now. All I know is that she used to come here every day after school to visit my nephew, Thabo,” said the elderly man.

Capt Mega Ndobe of the Katlehong SAPS told Kathorus MAIL that the case was still under investigation. He confirmed that the  7-year-old Grade 2 learner at the Mogobeng Primary school had not yet been found.