Missing teacher, alleged killer of teenage girl sought by Mpumalanga police

Preliminary investigations suggest the girl may have been strangled to death and possibly raped.

Photo: Stock image

Police are looking for suspects allegedly responsible for the death of 13-year-old Dimpho Sinenhlanhla Malevu from Wesselton, Ermelo, as well as missing teacher Kevin Chitapaza, 44, from Calcutta near Hazyview, Mpumalanga News reports.

Dimpho was reported missing on Saturday by her mother after she had gone to a shop and did not come back home.

A search for her was launched, and her lifeless body was later spotted by a passerby on Tuesday afternoon in bushes near the Ermelo Airfield.

A preliminary investigation suggested the girl may have been strangled to death and possibly raped, but a postmortem will be conducted to ascertain these allegations.

Meanwhile, police have instituted a search for Chitapaza, a teacher at Madzuma Secondary School in Calcutta, who was last seen two weeks ago, on July 20. He was wearing blue denim jeans, a blue jacket, a checkered shirt, white sneakers and a black beanie written ‘Bob Marley’.

The missing teacher, Kevin Chitapaza.

Any person with information that may assist police in their investigation is urged to contact Warrant Officer Sipho Mokoena at 082 373 8389/013 819 2321/7803 concerning the Ermelo incident (Dimpho) and Lieutenant-Colonel Dudu Shabangu at 072 937 3542 regarding the Calcutta one (teacher).

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