Friday, 02 December 2011

Dogs find child’s body

Richards Bay Community Policing Forum Chairperson - Sharon Mdletshe checks the shallow grave where the body of a young child was buried

The skeletal remains of a young child were found scattered in a greenbelt in Mzingazi Reserve on Monday afternoon. The gruesome find angered community members, who took a strong stance on Tuesday, combing the area for other remains and taking a united stand against the violent act. Community member Sharon Mdletshe was alerted to the incident after herd boys grazing their cattle in the greenbelt stumbled upon the bones on Monday morning.

Decomposed body parts believed to be those of a child, were found scattered in the bush. It is thought that packs of dogs which roam in the greenbelts dug up the shallow grave and scattered the bones, which had been chewed on. A sweater was stuck to the deceased’s jaw and underwear and pants were found in the vicinity. Next to the shallow grave was a used condom and its wrapper. The community believe that people come to the greenbelt bushes to have sex but were unaware of the shallow grave nearby. This violent crime has angered the community, especially as it was discovered during the 16 Days of Activism Against Women and Child Abuse..

On Monday, Mdletshe called an urgent public meeting at the community hall to gather information relating to the gruesome discovery, and over 1000 residents attended. A member of the community reported that a nine year-old boy from the Crossroads area had gone missing about three months ago. A missing person’s case was opened with the Kwambonambi Police, but the Mzingazi Community Policing Forum was not notified of the incident. The clothing which was found at the crime scene fits the description of what the missing child was last wearing. However, only forensic tests will be able to confirm the deceased’s identity. The murder of this young child has raised fear among the community that other children may be at risk if the killer is not apprehended.