Action Society is overseeing the murder case of a three-year-old girl who was murdered in Ratanda in April 2024. The two suspects, a 37 year old woman and a 33 year old man appeared at the Heidelberg court on 9 May 2024 where it was postponed to 17 September 2024 for further investigation.
Melokuhle Ngwenya went missing in Ratanda, south of Heidelberg on April 3 while her mother was at the shops. Upon her return, her baby was nowhere to be found. Community members helped to search the area, but when they still couldn’t find Melokuhle, a missing person’s case was opened at the police, who immediately joined the search. While being questioned by community members, the 37-year old woman, who rented a room from the mother on the property, admitted to killing Melokuhle after having a disagreement with the mother earlier that day.
The search continued with police dogs and Melokuhle’s body was found the next day, on 4 April, in a dustbin, wrapped in a plastic bag. The 33-year-old male reportedly admitted to assisting the alleged killer to hide the little girl’s body.
Both suspects were arrested on 3 May, after members of the community threatened to take matters into their own hands.
“Violence against children is an epidemic in South Africa. We have seen too many cases of children being killed and abused and their families have to wait years for justice with cases being postponed over and over again. Action Society is determined to fight for Melokuhle until these horrible killers are behind bars for life as soon as possible,” said Head of Action Society’s Action Centre, Kaylynn Palm.
