The police in the Mopani area have arrested a 34-year-old man and his girlfriend, following the death of a one-year-old girl, whose decomposed body was found in the bushes at Bolobedu settlement on Sunday afternoon.

Capt Maano Sadike, the spokesperson for the police in the area, said that the little girl, Clarence Ngobeni, went missing two weeks ago.

Her body was found in the bushes of Marwa Village Block 8 by people who were colleting firewood. The police statement further indicates that, although the girl went missing about a week before the discovery of her decomposed body on Sunday, her mother did not report the matter to the police.

That was good reason for the police to regard the deceased’s mother as the first suspect in the case. The girl’s mother, Elinah Ngobeni (28) and her boyfriend, Joseph Ramphoko (34) were arrested on Monday afternoon. They appeared in the Bolobedu Magistrate’s court on Wednesday.

They were not asked to plead on Wednesday and the case was postponed to a later date. Although the police have arrested the two in connection with the case, they appealed to people who have information regarding the case to contact them at 086 0010 111 or any police station.