I dream, then realise I will never hear her voice again: Bokgabo Poo's mother

14 February 2023 - 13:26
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Tsholofelo Poo, mother of slain four-year-old Bokgabo.
Tsholofelo Poo, mother of slain four-year-old Bokgabo.
Image: Thulani Mbele

Murdered Bokgabo Poo's mother Tsholofelo says the pain will live with her for the rest of her life.

“You wake up one day and you feel like you’re still dreaming, the next day it’s the reality that you can’t hear that voice, tuck her in.

“It’s the reawakening of the heartache. This is pain that I will live with all my life,” she said outside the Benoni court where the man arrested in connection with her four-year-old daughter's death made a brief appearance on Tuesday.

Ntokozo Khulekani Zikhali, 28, from Brakpan, was remanded until March 30 pending instructions from the director of public prosecutions on how to proceed. 

On October 10 Bokgabo was lured away from the Masoleng Park where she was playing with a friend with promises of sweets. She was last seen on grainy CCTV footage, happily skipping down a road next to a man. Her dismembered body was later found in two places. She was buried in November, though not all of her body parts were recovered.

Father Themba Seya, who provides spiritual support to the family, said they are still wanting to know where the remaining body parts are.

He also questioned whether more than one person was involved in the crime.

“Today is Valentine's Day but we can’t smile because we have pain.

“There is no truth. There shouldn’t be any gaps, we need the people who are hiding to come out. We can’t live like this. We have to put a stop to this. We thank God Bokgabo speaks from the grave.”

The park where she was last seen has been renamed Bokgabo Park in remembrance. The Wattville community has also been sharing orange ribbons and wearing the colour as a show of support for the family.

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