Cape Town – Five-year-old Nur Malgas was playing with friends when his killer strangled him using his own clothes and stuffing it into his mouth before throwing his lifeless body into a ditch 18 years ago.
Now nearly two decades later, his mother, Nazlie Maglas has come forward publicly begging police to bring closure to their family in finding her son’s killer.
Nur was playing with friends on April 24, 2005 after having had lunch with his family when he was lured away by an unknown person.
A day later Nur’s body was found behind a neighbour’s home, along the slopes of Hangberg in Hout Bay.
Malgas told Weekend Argus police have been silent and have not visited the family in many years and claims statements of certain witnesses were not taken: “I want closure.
“I want to know who murdered my child.”
Police spokesperson, Captain FC Van Wyk, said despite the cold case, they did not close the docket and are appealing for new leads.
“In the absence of new developments, the docket is archived till new information arises. Then the docket will be re-allocated to detectives to pursue new information and to expand the investigation.
“The mother is welcome to make contact with Hout Bay SAPS at any time if she has any queries or concerns.
“We appeal to anyone with new information to liaise with the local police station detectives or to call Crime Stop at 08600 10111.”
This week, Malgas approached the organisation, Track n Trace Missing Persons unit for assistance, claiming she had visited the police station on numerous occasions where she was told to provide new leads or information to assist with the case.
“Am I the police; why must I do the police’s work?” she asked.
Malgas said she had been doing washing and had prepared lunch for her children on the day Nur mysteriously disappeared.
The family had moved to Hout Bay.
“He said he was hungry and it was a very unusual Sunday, because my children lived with my mother and on that day they were all present at my home for lunch and they were sharing their chicken with Nur,” she explained.
‘Nur was given a drumstick and I remember he was standing at the door eating and how the wind came up and he had left to play with his friends.”
Malgas’ neighbour, Mary-Ann Stevens, was one of the persons who had last seen Nur alive.
“He was playing with friends in front of my door and my husband had been replacing my old door and told them they cannot play here because they might get hurt.
“They moved to play elsewhere.”
Malgas said she began to worry when Nur was not back home for their WWE match that they would usually watch on a Sunday and began frantically searching for him, first at his grandmother’s home and at friends and neighbours.
Soon the search included police and the community after he was reported missing.
“We searched for him until the early hours of that morning and the police were not much of a help for us,” she added.
While being she was at the police station the next day, Nur’s body was found.
Stevens said she had been present when police began gathering information at the scene and saw Nur’s lifeless body.
It is a day she will never forget. Nur had been strangled and suffocated with his own clothing and she, together with Malgas, had heard his frantic screams earlier not knowing which direction it had been coming from.
“At 5am while the mother searched for him, we heard him screaming ‘Mommy,’ and we could not find him or which direction the screams were coming from.
“When my husband came home for lunch that day, he said they had found his body behind our home.
“His pants were around his neck and his underpants were shoved into his mouth.
“I touched his body and it was still warm.
“We as a community are very upset, because nothing has been done in so many years to find his killer.”
Jeremy Carelse, of Track n Trace, said they would be assisting the family.