A week short from 200 days since the murder of four-year-old Bokgabo Poo, a trial date has finally been set, starting on 31 August 2023 in the Benoni High Court.
Bokgabo went missing on 10 October 2022, and parts of her mutilated body were found in two places the next day. A suspect – Ntokozo Zikhali – was arrested and charged in Boksburg on 14 October. At the time of Bokgabo’s murder, Zikhali was out on bail for raping a nine-year-old girl for which he was arrested on 7 November 2021.
Since his arrest, Zikhali has refused to tell the bereaved family where the other missing body parts are. In addition, various court postponements and the DNA backlog have delayed the case.
Action Society has been overseeing the case since the beginning.
“We hope that this case will shine the light on, and bring a change in, granting bail for convicted or arrested child sex offenders,” says Tshepi Mmekwa, Action Centre coordinator at Action Society. “Even though we can never bring Bokgabo back, we hope the trial will bring a glimmer of hope in finding justice for Bokgabo’s family and getting a conviction before the first anniversary of her brutal murder.”
Action Society feels strongly that any person arrested or convicted for offences of a sexual nature against children should not be granted bail to protect against further assaults. Support our petition against the practice at this link.
