During a visit to Wattville, Benoni, newly installed Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi revealed the search for Bokgabo Poo was far from over.
Bokgabo Poo body parts are still missing
The four-year-old was abducted near her home on Monday, 10 October 2022, in broad daylight. A day later, police revealed the leg of a minor was discovered in a shallow grave on a property in Tamboville, about 1.3km away from where the toddler was last seen alive.
Forensic tests on the leg returned a DNA match for Poo, and on Friday, 14 October 2022, four days into the toddler’s disappearance, a man identified as Ntokozo Zikhali was arrested and charged with kidnapping, rape, murder and violating a corpse.
According to Lesufi, who paid his respects to the Poo family on Monday, the search is still ongoing for the rest of Bokgabo’s body parts.
“I have come to tell the police to leave no stone unturned until we get everything we need. The body of our little sister … we still have parts that are still missing. We need to unleash all the law enforcement agencies,” he said.
Furthermore, the Gauteng Premier called on Benoni police to centralise all resources in Wattville “so that we assist the family [in closing] this chapter.”
In a statement quoted by IOL News, Lesufi’s spokesperson Vuyo Mhaga revealed that thus far, only a leg and torso have been recovered.
“The police launched a massive search with the assistance of the community of Wattville. On October 11, a leg of a child was discovered in a shallow grave inside a yard of a house in Tamboville, followed by a mutilated body a few metres from the house,” Mhaga said.
Ntokozo Zikhali ‘not cooperating’
The man accused of the heinous murder, Zikhali, made his first court appearance on Monday. Without so much as an inkling of remorse, Zikhali sat quietly on the dock as it was revealed in court that at the time of Bokgabo Poo’s murder, he was out on bail for allegedly raping a minor.
The case was postponed to Monday, 24 October 2022, to allow Zikhali an opportunity to source new legal representation after his private defence attorney withdrew from the matter in the 11th hour due to a conflict of interest
From what we understand, Zikhali was caught on camera walking away with Poo on the day of her disappearance. This crucial piece of evidence, matched with his association with the property in Tamboville and various other clues, like his history of sexually abusing minors, will play a huge role in the Bokgabo Poo murder trial.
However, toeing the line of justice will not be that easy, according to Lesufi, since Zikhali, it’s understood, is not cooperating with authorities.
“The police have assured us they are working very hard, even though the suspect is not cooperating,” he said.
Zikhali remains in police custody pending his next court appearance, where he will be afforded his right to apply for bail.