School still holding daily prayers for Miguel Louw

Most pupils at Rippon Primary School were not aware that a body found in Phoenix‚ north of Durban‚ on Monday may be that of missing Sydenham schoolboy nine-year-old Miguel Louw.

A member of the school's governing body on Tuesday told TimesLIVE that only the "bigger children" were aware of the latest developments.

"The younger ones did not watch news so they don’t know. But the bigger pupils know that a body was found and that it may be Miguel‚" she said.

The body was found a stone's throw from the home of butcher Mohammed Ebrahim‚ who was linked to the boy's disappearance on July 17.

The governing body member‚ who did not want to be named‚ said a sombre mood had prevailed over the school since the boy’s disappearance.

"We cannot give out any information to the pupils without the parents (Miguel's parents) coming to the school with confirmation."

"It's not our place to do so. We are still saying a prayer for him every day‚" she said.

Police are expected to use DNA testing to conclusively identify the remains of the boy‚ who was found wearing a school tracksuit jacket.

Ebrahim‚ of Longbury Drive in Phoenix‚ was arrested three days after Miguel was last seen. When he was detained‚ he was found in possession of Miguel’s original birth certificate and Miguel’s mother’s identity document.

CCTV footage showed Miguel at a KFC with Ebrahim‚ an acquaintance of the family for about two weeks‚ on the day of his disappearance.