The department’s spokesperson, Howard Ndaba, describes the murder as an act of moral depravity, which they find deeply concerning. Makhoba, a grade two learner at Tebello Primary School in Rocklands, was last seen in the company of a friend and fellow learner after school on Monday, March 4.

Two days after she was last seen, her decomposing body was discovered by Leabua Tjemolane and a group of his friends in an open field next to the R702 to Dewetsdorp. She was still dressed in her school uniform. Tjemolane told OFM News on the day of the grisly discovery that they were making their way back from a local egg farm when they found the body. He says they ran to the local police station in Kopanong to alert the authorities of what they had seen. It is believed that she was raped. Police, however, must still confirm this. Mingy, as she was affectionately known, resided in the Ipopeng township at the time of her death.

Ndaba urges community members to work alongside police to find the seven-year-old’s murderer. “This is an innocent child who was brutally murdered,” laments the spokesperson. “We really want to convey our condolences not only to the family but also to the fellow learners and teachers of the school where that learner was.” On Wednesday, March 13, Tebello Primary School held a service in memory of Makhoba. Her body will be laid to rest (tomorrow) on Friday, March 15. Meanwhile, a police spokesperson, Ikobeng Hlubi, said this week there were no new developments in the murder case.

OFM News