LIMPOPO – Khaya Restoration Rikhotso, the five-year-old boy who was found dead in the bushes after missing for two weeks, was laid to rest at Hoveni village outside Tzaneen.
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“The death of Khaya is a tragedy for the community, our municipality and the whole country. It should spur all of us to come together and help the police find the person responsible for his tragic death. I urge anyone who has information who can assist in catching the criminal to go to the police. It is our responsibility to ensure that this tragedy never happens again,” he said.
Music artist, Sakamela said Khaya, who attended a local crèche and was described by teachers as a bright child, was robbed of his life and a promising future.
“The most painful thing for a parent is to bury your own child. Let’s pray that a tragic death like this will never happen again,” he said.
Khaya’s father, Kenneth Rikhotso thanked police and the community who took part in the massive search for the missing boy.
“My spirit is down because I know that my child was abducted and killed, and I pray to God to make sure that the person responsible is found and made to pay for his evil action. I thank everybody who took part in helping to find his body and giving us an opportunity to give him a decent funeral,” he said.
The deceased lived with his grandmother and on 6 September, he was last seen playing in the yard. At around 17:00, the grandmother looked for him but he was nowhere to be found.
The local village crier was immediately alerted and after blowing a kudu horn, hundreds of villagers embarked on a massive search for the boy. When the police arrived, search dogs and helicopters were deployed to help find him.
The deceased was found two weeks later when a villager looking for firewood stumbling upon his corpse in the bushes outside the village. An inquest docket has been opened, police investigations are currently continuing and no one has been arrested.
Anyone with information that can assist police in their investigation is asked to Col Cecil Machimane at 082 451 7181 or the Crime Stop number 08600 10111 or SMS Crime Line at 32211 or the nearest police station.
