43-year-old man arrested following murder of 5-year-old girl

A 43-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the murder of 5-year-old Siphenathi Xhali at Alexandria in the Eastern Cape.

Police spokesperson Priscilla Naidu says the suspect, who is the child’s uncle allegedly alerted the police on Saturday morning about a person being assaulted at his house.

When police arrived they found the brutally battered body of the girl lying on the floor.

Naidu says it is suspected that she was murdered with a spade and that the deceased may have been raped.

The suspect will appear at the Kenton On Sea Magistrate’s Court on charges of murder, and there could be an additional rape charge, depending on the post-mortem results.

Nkomazi residents concerned that GBV incidents remain prevalent in the region

Meanwhile, as the country observes 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence, residents of Nkomazi in Mpumalanga are concerned that GBV incidents remain prevalent in their region.

Some concerned residents took part in a march that was held in Schoemansdal to raise awareness about gender-based violence.

The Lorraine Khoza Foundation is concerned that some of the victims are still reluctant to report GBV-related cases.

16 Days of Activism | Launch of the campaign:

CEO of the foundation, Lorraine Khoza, says a lot still needs to be done to fight the GBV scourge.

“Every week we have a case reported to our organisation and it is reported only because we were there on social media speaking out about these things and alerting the communities that we are here to offer the services. For instance, we had a case where a perpetrator was allowed out on parole and he went to violate a child that is in Grade 2.”