LIMPOPO – Life at Ravele and the surrounding areas in Sinthumule came to a standstill last Wednesday, following the discovery of a young girl’s body with some body parts missing. The young girl, whose body was found next to the road adds to the growing number of people killed for muti purposes in the area. Many questions are being asked as to who is behind the senseless and barbaric killings.
The body was found in a bush and was later identified as that of Mamaila Ngobeni (13) a Gr 6 learner at Daniel Mubva Primary School.
Her body was discovered by a passerby who alerted the community. Ngobeni, who went missing on Sunday, 19 May was allegedly found with multiple wounds on her body and both her ears were missing.
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The discovery of the mutilated body has raised fears that an organised syndicate dealing in body parts is operating in the area. Residents say other unexplained deaths occurred in the village which they believe are the work of this syndicate.
Elias Ngobeni, father of the deceased confirmed that body parts were missing from his daughter’s body. He said that after his daughter went missing he reported the matter to the Tshilwavhusiku Police. “I went with the police to the mortuary and identified her body and found that her ears were cut off,” he said.
He said that they were still waiting for the police to supply them with the post-morterm report. According to him his daughter had gone missing after she visited friends in the area. Residents, who asked to remain anonymous said people no longer feel safe in their own homes.
“If you don’t see one of your children for two to three hours, you start panicking, praying your child is still alive,” a resident said.
Chief Mbulaheni Ramabulana said they were perturbed by the increasing crime in the area. We have a duty as a community to see to it that crime disappears in our community. We have to sit down and devise means to stop this scourge. The community should help the police with information that can lead to the arrest and successful prosecution of the suspects who are responsible for this murder.”
He appealed to the community to not let school children walk to school alone.
“Fighting crime is not the duty of the police alone, but a collective task of both the police and you as the community. If you want to see the police making a breakthrough in this case, give them information,” he said.
He also appealed to communities in the area to assist the police with their investigations and to come forward with information, should they have any.
Spokesperson for Limpopo Police, Col Moatshe Ngoepe said the police were still waiting for the post-mortem report.
“At this stage, we have no evidence linking anybody to the death of Ngobeni. We are now appealing to members of the public to give us space to work on the case.” He also appealed to residents to supply information that can shed light on the brutal murder. Ngoepe said the police would leave no stone unturned in the hunt of those responsible for the girl’s murder. No one has been arrested.
