Child’s mutilated body found in plastic bags sparks concern in Limpopo

As the country marked Child Protection week on Monday, communities and political formations in Limpopo shared their concerns about the spike in child murders in recent months.

Their concerns were sparked by the discovery of the decomposed body of a toddler wrapped in a black bag on the side of the busy N1 road between Polokwane and Mokopane last week.

Limpopo police Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo said police received an alert from a passer-by about the abandoned bag.

He said on arrival they found the mutilated body of a toddler in a black bag which had “Sport Ruixinga” written on the side.

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“The child was wearing a blue tracksuit with white stripes and a pair of black baby shoes. They also found a pink baby blanket, a towel and a blue and white sarong.

“The toddler also had a bandage wrapped around his left leg and left arm and was already in a state of decomposition. The victim could be aged between two and three years,” Mojapelo said.

Among other incidents of child murders in recent months in Limpopo, in April, the body of a three year old was found dumped in the bushes outside Groblersdal in the Sekhukhune district.

In August 2021, the bodies of three children, aged 15, nine and six were found.

They were last seen boarding an unknown vehicle and police investigations are still continuing.

A few weeks later, a six-year-old child was found dead after she disappeared from her family home in Phokwana village outside Jane Furse, also in the Sekhukhune region.

As if that was not enough, in September 2021, the bodies of two sisters, aged six and seven, were found after a three-week search in the Senwabarwana area.

On Monday, the Limpopo department of social development said incidents of killings and abuse of children were a serious cause for concern.

“We continue to convey the message of care and protection of children to communities.

“We always advise parents and caretakers to know where their children are at all times,” Limpopo MEC for social development Nkakareng Rakgoale said on Monday.

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“Child protection is not just the responsibility of the government, it is something that should be taken seriously by civil society as a whole. We can’t turn a blind eye or deaf ear if and when we know that a child’s safety and well-being is at risk,” she said.

Rakgoale will today address the media, school pupils, community members, traditional leaders and senior government officials on the rise of child murders, children abuse, gender-based violence and femicides (GBVF) that continue to haunt communities in Limpopo and the country.

The event will take place at Relela Community Hall outside Tzaneen from noon.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) on Monday said it was concerned that children were not safe in Limpopo and would write to the premier for action to be taken.