It all started last year when the wide community of eMalahleni, the province, the country and even the world was shaken.
In fact, January 20 will always ring a bell to the community of eMalahleni when the kidnapping of the Shabane children caught the attention of the world.
13-year-old Gabasile Shabane and his nephew Nkosikhona Welcome Ngwenya who was 15 months were kidnapped from their home in Hlalanikahle in the still of the night.
The disappearance of the pair made the police to have sleepless nights searching for them and the suspects.
The suspects were later arrested and appeared in court for kidnapping and the murder of the two children, housebreaking with an intent to commit the crimes of murder and pointing of a firearm have also been added to the charges.
The bodies of the two children were later found, Gabasile was found in a shallow grave in Gauteng while Nkosikhona’s body was found in a river along the N4 highway to Pretoria.
Community members supported the family and rally behind them throughout the court case.
Awareness campaigns were held; dialogue as well as marches to make people aware of the daily dangers that people with albinism had to endure.
Television series were made and books have also been written about people with albinism.
The story of Xolani Mkhize, also a person with albinism whose grave was dung up, was also highlighted.
It takes a whole village to raise a child and a lesson learnt from the incident reminded community members to rally and support each other, especially people with albinism.
The five accused, Thokozani Msibi, Brilliant Mkhize, Themba Thubane, Knowledge Mhlanga and Mfanasibile Gamedze will appear at the Magistrate’s Court of Middelburg for trial.
They were denied bail and are kept in custody.
State witnesses have also been lined up.
READ PREVIOUS ARTICLE: Kidnapped children found dead https://www.citizen.co.za/witbank-news/106393/kidnapped-children-found-dead/
