A mother’s love and a religious leader’s guiding hands are often a source of solace for children. But what happens when these trusted figures turn on those who they are meant to care for?
This follows a murder investigation, where a mother, a relative of hers and a pastor are facing murder charges following the death of two nine-year-old girls.
The incident unfolded when detectives from Nkandla Police Station responded to a call in the Ezimambeni area.
According to police spokesperson, Colonel Thembeka Mbele, police received an anonymous call on March 24. The anonymous source informed the police that it was instrumental that they go to a house at Ezimambeni, because they suspected something sinister was unfolding.
Upon arrival, the police were greeted with hostility by the family. Asking who sent them to the house, the family did not want the SAPS at the premises.
But after a barrage of questions from the family members, police encountered a very gruesome scene.
Two nine-year-old girls lay on the floor with bruises all over their bodies. One of the girls was already deceased, while the other was unconscious. Upon seeing the girls on the floor, the police summoned the ambulance to the scene.
However, upon arrival the health officials certified one girl as dead. The second child was rushed to hospital.
Upon questioning the family members on the girls’ injuries, the family alleged the girls were attacked by evil spirits.
The family further alleged claimed the young girls had been complaining that the evil spirits were beating them up and instructing them to drink blood.
In response to the girls’ alleged attack by the evil spirits, the family beat up the girls as a form of exorcism.
A local pastor was also called to pray for the girls. However, he also allegedly joined in the beating of the girls.
Allegedly, prior to the arrival of the police, the family had taken the deceased girl to the traditional healer after beating her.
The traditional healer could not do anything for her because she was already deceased. The traditional healer then returned the body to the family.
The second girl, who was taken to hospital, later succumbed to her injuries in hospital and died.
An inquest docket was opened to be investigated by the detectives. Thorough investigations were conducted by the Nkandla Detectives. The investigations were coupled with medical reports, which pointed to the fact that the young girls were subject to severe beatings, which was the cause of their death.
Further investigations also revealed that during 2015, another girl from the family died under mysterious circumstances. She was apparently buried a day after her death, without the family informing any authorities.
Colonel Mbele explained it is suspected the same was going to happen to the two young girls. This is according to the investigations, which found the family had not reported the situation to anybody, except for the pastor.
After the findings of the investigations, the mother of the child, a relative and the pastor were arrested for two counts of murder.
They appeared at the Nkandla Magistrate Court on June 2. However, the case was remanded, and the suspects will appear in court again on June 8.
Investigations continue and the Nkandla detectives will also probe the death of the girl in 2015.
