Dead child’s family draw strength from protesters
THE family of Katlego “Katli” Joja, the 10-year-old autistic girl who went missing last week and whose body was found floating in a river, thanked South Africans for their love and support yesterday during a protest led by #NotInMyNameSA.
“I believe what other speakers have been saying is enough. Let us fight this because it’s painful. It’s as if someone is cutting into you with a knife. But with your support, the family will stand strong,” the girl’s aunt, Tebogo Lebelo, told protesters at Mamelodi police station, east of Pretoria.
“You have done a lot for us, we are able to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. Katli was never a sinner, she had not insulted anyone because our poor Katli could not even say a word.”
Hundreds of pupils in Mamelodi blocked streets as they marched to the local police station, demanding justice for Katlego.
She went missing last Thursday. Her mother was the last to see her when she walked to the nursery school situated inside the yard.
The family realised she was missing when her grandmother, who runs the school, asked where she was.
After searching the yard and neighbouring houses, they reported her missing to police.
The family were reportedly turned away and told they had to wait for 24 hours.
The family then launched a search for the child, and printed pamphlets circulated around Mamelodi.
The child’s body was found on Sunday. It has been taken to a mortuary for an autopsy to establish the cause of death.
Station commander for the Mamelodi police Brigadier Lungiswa Tshayana received the #NotInMyName memorandum and promised the crowd that the case would received maximum attention. “We have heard your concerns and in the spirit of Katlego, let us disperse in peace,” he said. – African News Agency (ANA)