The investigating officer in the murder case of Bokgabo Poo says his life is in danger as the family accuses him of incompetence after the accused, Ntokozo Zikhali, was not linked to the crime.
Four-year-old Bokgabo of Wattville in Benoni, Ekurhuleni, disappeared in October 2022. After an extensive search for her, her dismembered body was found, with some body parts still missing, in two separate locations.
A DNA report ruled out Zikhali's link to Bokgabo’s murder. Instead, the bloodstained jeans that were found discarded in a bin at his home were found to belong to someone else.
Zikhali had been the prime suspect in Bokgabo's disappearance and murder after CCTV footage captured on the day of her disappearance showed how the little girl was merrily walking behind Zikhali, seemingly trying to catch up with him as they walked from a park where she was last seen playing.
Information revealed by Bokgabo's family at the time was that a male friend of hers who had been playing with her at the park claimed they were approached by a man who offered them money to buy sweets. The boy was sent to the shop to buy the sweets and returned to find Bokgabo and the man gone.
As the search for Bokgabo intensified, the CCTV footage went viral and Zikhali, who was known in the Wattville township of Benoni, became a wanted man.
The next day, a 63-year-old woman was sweeping her yard when she found the leg of a child in a shallow grave, leading to other parts being found close by.
According to Tsholofelo Poo, Bokgabo's mother, in a confession that was found inadmissible by the Pretoria high court sitting in Benoni, Zikhali had admitted to kidnapping her.
With the DNA results showing that the blood found on his clothes was not that of Bokgabo, Zikhali however, did an about-turn and entered a not-guilty plea to the kidnapping, rape, murder and mutilation charges.
The trial, which started last week had two trials-within-a-trial. One to determine the admissibility of the confession and another that of a pointing out exercise for Bokgabo's body parts.
After those proceedings, judge Ian Cox said that the evidence was not admissible as Zikhali testified that he had co-operated under duress and was assaulted by police. He was acquitted of the four charges relating to Bokgabo.
Zikhali's court appearances are not yet over as he faces a charge of rape in a separate matter. That relates to a nine-year-old girl who he allegedly raped several months before Bokgabo's incident unfolded. At the time of Bokgabo's killing, Zikhali was out on bail in regards to the first rape case.
Sergeant Kaizer Mbele, from the family violence, child protection and sexual offences unit in Benoni, said he is living in fear for his life.
If I get killed or victimised because of this, I won’t be the only policeman to die because of duty
— Sgt Kaizer Mbele, investigating officer
“They are threatening me. My life is in danger. The community is up in arms as the family is blaming me for the acquittal. There was DNA done and it didn’t link Zikhali to the crime.
“The DNA test was done on Bokgabo's body at the mortuary and there was no link. His clothes also didn’t have evidence that could lead to him.
“Despite this, the family says that I was incompetent. I understand that they are going through a lot but they are damaging my reputation. If I get killed or victimised because of this, I won’t be the only policeman to die because of duty,” said Mbele.
It was Zikhali's version that he had a valid reason for being at the park that day. A source who is privy to the case told TimesLIVE that Zikhali claimed he had come to the park to apologise to his nine-year-old rape victim.
DNA evidence had linked him to that crime.
Bokgabo's mother said that she was disappointed in the outcome and still believed that even if Zikhali did not commit the rape, murder or mutilation, he probably had an idea of who did and might have worked with them.
“There was negligence on the part of the police. The investigation officer got excited when joining the cases and started to relax,” said Tsholofelo. “He didn’t investigate further. If you don’t find blood stains, at least look for the murder weapon or interrogate the people around the case.
“The state was not properly prepared and they should have postponed the matter to allow for further investigations, but the focus was on concluding trial. The police cost us the case,” Tsholofelo said.
While handing down judgment, Cox said the only admissible evidence was the testimony of Bokgabo's mother and the CCTV video footage.
“There was nothing untoward in her (the mother's) evidence and she was found to be a reliable witness,” Cox said.
But on that crucial footage that the state had heavily relied on, Cox said: “The footage does not show that they interacted with each other or knew each other.”
He accepted Zikhali's version that he “saw the footage from his mother’s home, got scared and disappeared.
“The footage shows that the accused was the last person seen with the deceased. It doesn’t show he was with the child in the sense of going with each other. They coincidentally walked together. Anything could have happened down the street.
“That is barely sufficient to draw the inference that he was with the deceased or was the last person who was with the deceased. The application for the discharge is granted. The accused is found not guilty,” said Cox.
Tsholofelo said “my gut feeling is that he [Zikhali] knows something,”
TimesLIVE
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.