By Doreen Mokgolo
A 37-year-old man accused of killing three-year-old Melokuhle Ngwenya broke down in tears in court on Thursday.
Melokuhle, from Ratanda in Ekurhuleni, allegedly went missing while playing at the home of accused number one, her neighbour, Panina Sambo.
Her rat-eaten body was found in the early hours of 4 April, wrapped in plastic inside Sambo’s refuse bin.
Sambo and the man, who rented a room from Melokuhle’s mother, Zandy Ngwenya, appeared in the Heidelberg Magistrate’s Court on Thursday morning to face charges of murder.
When the magistrate asked the man why he was crying, he said he was praying.
“I don’t know what happened to the child; I was at work when the child went missing,” he said.
Both suspects had joined the community to search for the girl on the day she went missing.
They were remanded in custody, and the case was postponed until 17 September for further investigation. The court is awaiting DNA results to establish whether the blood found on the male suspect’s jacket came from Melokuhle.
In an interview with Scrolla.Africa outside the court, the grieving mother, Zandy, said she wants an opportunity to speak to Sambo.
“I want to know why she killed my daughter in such a gruesome way. What did she do so badly that she deserved to die like that?” she asked.
“I never had the opportunity to see her since she was arrested. I want her to face me and explain herself; maybe that will help me find closure,” she said.
“They helped me disturb the community trying to find her. Accused number one was even crying hysterically. I thought maybe it was because she was close to my daughter but troubled by her conscience,” she said.
Ngwenya disclosed in an earlier interview that she had seen Sambo trying to climb into her home through an open window on the day her daughter disappeared. She asked her what she was doing, but Sambo walked away without answering her.
Pictured above: Little Melokuhle Ngwenya.
Image source: Doreen Mokgolo
