Police in Limpopo say they cannot rule out the possibility of ritual motivated killing in the murder of an 11-year-old girl in Ndengeza, outside Giyani.
Tiyiselani Rikhotso’s lifeless body was found floating in a river on Tuesday, hours after she was reported missing.
Some of her body parts were missing.
Police suspect she is a victim of a ritual killing.
Rikhotso had gone to play with her friends at the nearby bushes on Sunday, when she went missing.
Her murder is a second at the village in a space of three weeks.
In the video below, police urge those with information on the murder to assist:
Her grandfather William Rikhotso says the family is devastated and is still in shock.
“We are heartbroken and we don’t know what to do. We are not even yet sure of the burial date…we are so disturbed. And we need answers as to what exactly happened to her leg and what led to her death.”
Police are calling on community members to assist with information that may lead to the arrest of the perpetrators.
“From the South African police services, what one would like to say firstly is to ask communities to cooperate with the investigating officers so that where possible if they do have information, they must share that with us quickly so that there could be a swift arrest in that regard” says Community Safety and Liaison MEC Dickson Masemola.
The Rikhotso family says Tiyiselani will not be buried until the missing body parts are found.
