Africa-Press – South-Africa. A man, his girlfriend and her son have been stoned to death after the body of an eight-year-old girl was found inside the man’s pit toilet in Vaalbank, Mpumalanga.
Nomsa Sambo was reported missing by her family on 12 February 2023.
According to police spokesperson Brigadier Selvy Mohlala, information emerged about a man who was allegedly seen carrying Nomsa to his house.
“Police then responded to the information and on 13 February 2023, they took him for questioning. A kidnapping case was opened to that regard,” he said.
However, the man, 53, denied the allegations.
Mohlala said the man was released due to insufficient evidence.
However, on Saturday morning, information surfaced that Nomsa was inside a pit toilet at the suspect’s residence.
Vaalbank police as well as members from Search and Rescue rushed to the scene, and upon arrival, they found lifeless bodies of three individuals, two men and one woman, 51, on the street.
“The bodies reportedly had serious injuries which suggest that they could have been stoned and the medical personnel came to the scene as well where they were certified dead,” Mohlala said.
Police also discovered that two vehicles, a Ford Bantam and VW Jetta four were torched.
Nomsa’s body was eventually retrieved from the pit toilet.
The three have since been identified as Zele Papo Machika, 53, his female friend, Pauline Maubane, 51, and her son, Thabo Maubane, 32.
The police later learnt the torched vehicles belonged to Thabo.
“The case of kidnapping has since been changed to murder, meanwhile three counts of murder are being investigated with regard to the three adults that were murdered,” Mohlala said.
No one has been arrested so far, and police are investigating the incident.
“This country is governed by laws and a situation of mob justice where people take the law into their own hands can never be accepted or allowed hence, we encourage communities to work together with the police whenever they have information regarding crime rather than trying to pay revenge themselves.
“We had long-life sentences that were imposed upon perpetrators of violent crimes. Therefore the public should allow the arms of the state to operate,” Mpumalanga police commissioner Lieutenant-General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela said.
For More News And Analysis About South-Africa Follow Africa-Press
