The euphoria of giving birth last Sunday turned to despair for an eMpangeni mother after she discovered her eldest daughter went missing and was found murdered in northern KwaZulu-Natal.
Zanokuhle Khumalo, 7, went missing on Monday a day after her mother, Ndumo, gave birth to her sister. On Tuesday, Zanokuhle's body was found stuffed in a plastic bag under a bed in a house a few doors away from her home at Dumisani Makhaye Village on the outskirts of eMpangeni.
She was buried on Sunday.
Family spokesperson Sandile Mhlongo said he was visiting his mother when he heard about Zanokuhle's disappearance.
He said he had made it his business to help search for the child.
“When she [Zanokuhle's mum] returned from hospital on Monday she was told her daughter had gone to play outside. But later she realised the girl was missing. She left her newborn with someone and went out onto the street shouting for Zano to no avail,” said Mhlongo.
They reported the disappearance to police, and community members began a search for the child.
“I sought assistance from a graphic artist who created a poster of a child which was shared widely on social media. This is while we went everywhere to look for her,” said Mhlongo.
He said while they were searching, a woman who owned a house a few doors from them came out crying.
“The landlady said a man who stayed there confessed and claimed to have left her in his room. The man was nowhere to be found,” he said.
They made a gruesome discovery at the house.
Mhlongo said with the assistance of the community, they managed to track down the man to a bed and breakfast nearby. He said by this time, the community was baying for blood, but they managed to get him to the police station. The house in which the man stayed was torched.
“I would like to make it clear to the community we were not protecting the guy. We needed to take him to the police so that the law could take its course and justice can be served. But I thank the community for rallying behind finding the suspect,” said Mhlongo.
Mhlongo called for men to take a stance in rooting out criminal elements.
“I honestly feel this could have happened to anyone's child and that’s why we should root out crime. A child left the house to play with no understanding as to what could happen,” said Mhlongo.
Speaker of uMhlathuze municipality Tobias Gumede, who spoke at the funeral on Sunday, condemned the incident. He said while they welcomed the arrest of the suspect, it was worrying that such incidences continue unabated.
“Since coming into office in 2021 there was also a similar case in Ngwelezane. It's concerning the males in our communities are becoming animals,” said Gumede.
He said the high number of males who are on the wrong side of the law was a huge cause for concern.
Gumede cautioned community members about taking the law into their own hands.
“Let’s wait for the law to take its course,” said Gumede.
uMhlathuze mayor Xolani Ngwezi said the incident had left the community reeling and vowed to work with the premier to stamp out the scourge of crime.
“We are against all forms of abuse and crime,” said Ngwezi. “We have to do this because crime tarnishes the image of society and also turns away people who want to invest in our city,” said Ngwezi.
Police spokesperson Col Robert Netshiunda said a 33-year-old man was arrested for murder and kidnapping after the body of the victim was found under his bed on Tuesday.
The suspect, who is known to the family, made an appearance in the Ngwelezane magistrate's court on Thursday.
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