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Community members chase after the police vehicle transporting the man whom they accused of killing the child. 

Turmoil after murder of young girl at Mavhunga

 

The death of an 11-year-old child from an RDP housing complex in Mavhunga has sparked a huge controversy and left community members accusing the police of failing to investigate the case properly and to apprehend the alleged culprit.

Unarine Maphwe (11) went missing last Tuesday. According to the police report, she went to school in the morning, but in the afternoon her younger sister told her mother that Unarine had not been at the school during the day. The parents and neighbours searched for the child, but she could not be found and was reported missing at the police station.

Later on Tuesday evening, the body of the child was found lying next to the Mavhunga public road. The child had allegedly been raped before she was killed.

The residents shortly afterwards started to accuse the police of failing to investigate the case properly and arrest a suspect. Some community were convinced that the man who was apparently dating the mother of the murdered child had committed the gruesome crime. Initially the man was apprehended for questioning, but when he was later released, some community members allegedly threatened to kill him. (Watch video clip)

The man was arrested last Wednesday and the following day members of the community chased the mother of the murdered child away, accusing her of allegedly encouraging her "boyfriend" to commit the gruesome crime. When the man returned to the community on Saturday morning, community members started intimidating him once again, accusing him of raping the child and killing her.

Infuriated community members went to his home, threatening to kill him. The police arrived and had to rescue the man. The police then advised him to leave the community and seek refuge elsewhere. He apparently took all his belongings and moved to another village.

From what could be established, the suspect pointed out by the community had appeared in the Dzanani Magistrate's Court. The magistrate apparently dismissed the case because of a lack of evidence.

When Limpopo Mirror visited the family of the murdered child last Thursday, the neighbours said the mother had been chased away and no longer stayed at her house.  

Limpopo provincial spokesperson Col Ronel Otto confirmed the incident. She said that no arrest had been made at the time of our going to press. “At this stage, it is not clear exactly how she was killed and the police are investigating the possibility that she might have been raped before being killed,” said Col Otto.

News - Date: 02 October 2014

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Police arrive at the scene, trying to calm the community on Tuesday. 

 

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Phathutshedzo Luvhengo

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