A horrific crime has got people talking right now, as two young girls, aged two and three, were kidnapped from their home in Diepsloot, South Africa, in broad daylight, only to be found dead days later. What makes the situation even more despicable is the fact that the children were sexually assaulted, strangled, and had their bodies dumped in a building that houses public toilets in Johannesburg, according to CNN.
The two young girls, Yonelisa and Zandile Mali, were cousins who resided with their families in Diepsloot, a place where violent crime is high, as is unemployment and poverty. As Keridwen Cornelius wrote in a piece on the township back in 2008, “Up close, Diepsloot brims with crime, disease, struggle, boredom, tragedy, friendliness, modest hopes, strength of will and thousands of stories.” Yoneslisa’s mother, Thokozani Mali, tried to keep a firm eye on the young girls, as she was watching them the day they were taken. In an interview with CNN, she says that she checked on the girls as they played every five minutes while doing chores. But when it went quiet all of a sudden, she realized they’d been taken. Family, friends and neighbors tried to help look for the girls, along with police, but it was too late. When asked how she’s coping with the loss of her child, Thokozani says she’s doing her best. “I am trying to be strong. When I am sleeping, she’s always next to me, so when I think of that I feel like crying.”
The girls were taken earlier in the month, and their bodies were discovered on October 15. Since then, five men have been arrested for the crime with one actually confessing, and they all appeared in court yesterday in Pretoria. They will return to court on November 1 as investigations go on, DNA evidence is tested, and official identifications of each man is gathered. Charges against the men, according to police spokesman Lungelo Dlamini “will be kidnapping, rape, and murder.” The five men are between the ages of 29 and 47.
Residents of the township have protested the killings, some even rioting and throwing stones at the police, according to reports. But many have also been calm in their protest, carrying signs and placards with suspects’ faces on them that said “Save our children” and more.
President Jacob Zuma also spoke out against the recent string of violent crimes against children, as it turns out that a young boy was also recently found tortured and murdered in a field in Johannesburg.
“These gruesome incidents of extreme torture and murder of our children do not belong to the society that we are continuously striving to build together.
Whilst we appeal to the communities not to take the matters into their hands, we also want to urge them to work with law enforcement authorities to find the perpetrators and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.”