He is complaining about the police brutality against the family of a girl who has been missing for two weeks from the slums of Marikana, Kokstad.
Lathitha Mtolo (7), a Grade 2 student at Xoloxolo Primary, went missing while playing with other children on February 26, this year.
According to his relative, Ms. Nokwanda Mtolo, the police have spared five people who are suspected of having information about the child’s disappearance.
Narrating the story, he said that two days after Lathitha disappeared, the community, which was looking for them everywhere since it appeared that she was missing, came across a pharaoh at the foot of the bridge, undressed at the bottom and her clothes were covered in blood.
“When she was asked about the blood, she revealed that she had been stabbed about a week ago. The community suspects that the wound that has been a week old is still bleeding, she called the police and they came and took the bloody clothes with the intention of going for a DNA test, to see if the blood is related to Lathitha,” said Ms. Mtolo.
He said that after days, the community and the family searched without finding a clue, he just chose to return to it and ask questions.
“That’s when she revealed that she had information about Lathitha. She said that she took her and gave her two women witch doctors. She revealed that they were working with two other men who mutilated children alive, then killed them, and threw their bodies into the dam in Franklin,” said Ms Mtolo, who also revealed that she had started working with them and they paid R4 000 for one child they delivered.
He said they also called the police to arrest her following her wedding. He said that they also went to the dam that he spoke of, and the child was searched for, but he could not be found. Instead, he said, a black plastic bag was found filled with a lot of bloody diapers. He stated that the police took them and took them away. He said they hoped that justice would be done and those who called them names would also be taken away so that they could also explain where the child is. However, he said this did not happen.
“On Wednesday last week, we expected her to appear in court but we found out that she was released because the police and the court said there was no tangible evidence,” explained Ms. Mtolo, who said this left them very disappointed.
He said what saddened them was that all these people just hit the grass and it is not known where they ran to.
He pointed out that this is what made the community angry, he set fire to their homes.
“The community got fed up and burned their homes, and others. He said they no longer want traditional healers because they are disgusted by the loss of a child,” he said.
He stated that they were disappointed by the actions of the police, and said that they expected them to keep the para inside, until the results of the blood’s genetics come back.
“If the results come back saying that it is not Lathitha’s blood, then they would release her. But if it is, she would have to continue to be locked up and reveal the truth about where she is,” he said.
He said that they have gone with people who are investigating to look for clues, and he said that those who went to them told them that he is still alive, locked in a dark room. He said they looked where the trail was pointing but they came back empty handed.
“There are a lot of scary things they say. Now we wonder if he is alive, is he being given food? If they have killed him, we will cry for his bone,” he said.
KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson, Colonel Robert Netshiunda, said investigators from the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offenses (FCS) unit are continuing to investigate the disappearance of a child (7) who was last seen in late February, in Marikana, Kokstad.
He said search and rescue teams are continuing to look for it. He then confirmed that the public arrested the person they suspected of having information about the fighter.
“There was a riot after he was released by the local court. The police had charged him but the court did not include it in the list of charges, saying that the docket has no concrete evidence,” said Netshiunda.
He stated that the community was fed up and burnt down the man’s house and others, suspecting that the owners had sent the man.
“The police keep camping in this area to ensure that there is peace and tranquility,” said Netshiunda.