A nationwide search is on for a Mozambican man who is the prime suspect in the killing of two Diepsloot toddlers.
The man is said to have been on the run since the discovery of the bodies of cousins Yonelisa Mali, 2, and Zandile Mali, 3, in a public toilet cubicle in the squatter camp north of Johannesburg on Tuesday.
The girls were last seen on Saturday night walking from their home, and said by some to have been in the suspect's company. Their mothers were at a nearby shop.
Their bodies were hidden close to where five-year-old Anelisa Mkhondo was found murdered and dumped last month.
Within hours of the toddlers' bodies being found, residents descended on four shacks, destroying them in the hunt for the suspects.
Senior Gauteng police officers said yesterday that four men had reported to the police after hearing that their shacks had been destroyed.
Gauteng provincial detective head Major-General Norman Taioe said three of the men were Mozambicans, the fourth a Swazi.
"When they told us what happened we took them in for questioning . they are still being questioned."
Major-General Oswald Reddy, commander of the Honeydew policing area, which includes Diepsloot, said the men, who know the man who is said to be on the run, were helping the police to create an identikit image of him.
"We are aware of the tension in the area and [of the potential for] creating further conflict," said Reddy.
"We have a presence there and are monitoring the situation . we are currently verifying the details of the men in our custody.
"Our forensic experts are analysing DNA and searching fingerprint databases to establish whether the men [being questioned] are wanted for other crimes."
Citing fears of mob justice, Reddy said the police had acted discreetly in their investigation of Anelisa's murder.
"We are looking at the possibility that Anelisa's killer is the perpetrator [of the later killings] . all the killings occurred in the same area, with the modus operandi being the same," he said.
