The community of Wattville has vowed to rid itself of criminal elements and put an end to the scourge of crime and gender-based violence (GBV) bedevilling the area following the the death of 4-year-old Bokgabo Poo who was murdered and her body mutilated by the alleged killer Ntokozo Zikhali.
Bokgabo went missing on 9 October, 2022 after she was last seen with the accused. Her body was found a few days later by community members in Tamboville, Wattville.
On Wednesday, scores of community members filled the Wattville Day Care Centre where the 4-year old spent her school days as a learner.
On Monday, Zikhali who is facing a charge of kidnapping, murder and violating a corpse appeared before the Benoni Magistrate’s Court and his case postponed to 14 November, 2022. It was discovered that Zikhali was out on bail for raping a 9-year old child from another community when he committed this crime against Bokgabo.
The family said they are yet to make arrangements for the 4-year-old’s funeral as some of her body parts are still missing and the forensic investigation continues.
A family member who did not want to be named said the family did not know if there would be another memorial service as they were not sure when the investigations would be finalised and whether efforts to collect the remaining parts would be successful.
Inside the hall, Bokgabo’s grandmother Lillian Poo told mourners that the family is still very much suffering following the death of her granddaughter. “As the family, we never thought we would witness something like this. It is something we have seen on television but never thought we would experience this kind of pain.
“We were expecting a doctor, teacher, minister and a lot of things from her but Satan came and took her away from us. Even so, we trust in the Lord. We can’t fight for ourselves because He is the one who fights for us,” she said.
She said the community has given the family so much strength as they go through the pain of losing their grandchild. “We are grateful for the support this community has given us. May they continue to do the same to other families,” she said.
Mandla Madondo who represents the community of Wattville said the community has had enough of criminals and will now consider taking the law into their own hands. Madondo also called for the Wattville police station to be filled with new members as as the current crop of police officials are failing to stop crime in the area.
“We have been patient with people who come into our neighbourhoods and do as they please. We are tired of criminals who continue to steal in our communities and the police who do nothing to stop crime in Wattville. But enough is enough, we cannot sit by and let them touch our children. If these people continue to touch our children, we must now consider taking the law into our hands as the police continue to fail us.
Tshepi Mmekwa of Action Society said the scourge of GBV has made it impossible for children to enjoy their freedom and play outside their homes.
“The streets have become dangerous places for our children. We now live in fear and have to watch our children like hawks. Not only are our uncles and brothers untrustworthy, but we are being failed by the justice system and the police on a daily basis. We have now officially become a reactionary state. We now need guns and knives in order to live. We now live at a time where we must beg the police to do their job. I think this is a pandemic in itself,” she said.
The Star