A dark cloud hangs over the community of Tshino Ndiitwani outside Vuwani, following the discovery of the body of a three-year-old boy in an outside pit toilet on Monday, 5 December.
The little boy, identified as Bonginkosi Modika, had been in the care of his uncle when he mysteriously disappeared from his home the previous day (Sunday). According to Limpopo police spokesperson Col Malesela Ledwaba, Bongi was last seen between 07:30 and 08:30.
"After the case was reported, the K9 and Search and Rescue team, joined by the community, conducted a search, focusing first on the victim's yard. The members then started digging the pit toilet after conducting tests to determine what might be inside. The boy's body was subsequently found and handed over to the local police. An inquest was opened."
The Limpopo Provincial Police Commissioner, Lt Gen Thembi Hadebe, has also called upon parents to be extremely cautious and practice extra care to look after their children.
One of the community leaders, Mr Orbet Tshidumo, said they had received the information about the missing boy and mobilised support from community members.
"We combed the whole area, including the nearby bushes and streams, but in vain. After failing to locate the boy, we decided to search the pit toilet, where the grisly discovery was made. This is very painful for us all as a community and the family, and this has prompted us to make a call on parents to be extra vigilant and to take care of their young children. Schools are closed now, and the children are roaming the streets with nothing to do. Let us monitor their movements. This will help us avert situations where they might disappear, never to be found again," Tshidumo said.
According to another community leader, Mr Gideon Mukhovha, who was present during the search, the boy's bottom lip was missing when the body was retrieved.
"We have no doubt this is ritual related. It cannot be that the child goes missing and the following day his body is found without lips. We need answers and hope the police will do their best to get to the bottom of the matter," he said.