Teenage relative arrested for toddler’s murder

THE family of a slain toddler said they never expected a 15- year- old relative to be arrested in connection with her murder.

The teen is expected to appear in the Ntuzuma Magistrate’s Court today.

Police spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbele said 3- year- old

Sanelisiwe Mhlongo was left in the care of a relative while her mother went to work last week.

When her mother returned home, she was told that the girl, who would have turned 4 next month, had gone missing and was nowhere to be found.

The next day her body was discovered in bushes near her home in Kwamashu.

She had stab wounds to her body as well as a head injury.

On Tuesday afternoon an investigative team made a breakthrough when they arrested the relative, a Grade 9 pupil, and recovered a weapon thought to have been used to kill the child.

Sanelisiwe’s aunt, Nomfundo Mhlongo, said they were shocked by the arrest of the relative.

“We didn’t expect that it would be he who might have done something like this,” she said.

Mhlongo said Sanelisiwe was her sister’s only child.

“We haven’t started thinking about funeral arrangements. No one is employed here and we had not covered in any funeral policy because we didn’t think something like this would happen to her while she’s still a baby,” she said.

Mhlongo said the family were still baffled by the motive for the murder.

“We applaud the Ntuzuma detectives for their dedication and we believe that our justice will not fail the family,” said the acting provincial police commissioner, Major- General Thulani Gonya.