AS THE funeral service for two young Soweto boys takes place on Friday morning, less than 6km away the suspects arrested in connection with their murders are expected to make their first appearance in the Protea magistrate’s court.
Drum majorettes, provincial government dignitaries, community members and a school choir are among the mourners who came to Jabavu Stadium to bid farewell to Nqobizitha Zulu, 5, and Tshiamo Rabanye, 6. They are due to be buried at the Olifantsvlei cemetery later on Friday morning.
Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi said he was disheartened and did not have any answers for the family and community. Referring to the country’s high crime rate, he said: “We come to you limping and limping every day. On behalf of the government, we fail to explain the pain you are going through. We come to you with no explanations.
“If you hate children, what do you love? Even through wars and disasters, usually people would rather die than let their children die. It makes things difficult for us. Are we truly human beings?
“We must resist exposing our children to death and funerals.”
Gauteng education MEC Matome Chiloane questioned the justice system’s effectiveness as a deterrent for heinous crimes.
“Punishment must fit the crime. Perhaps we need to go back and review what we mean by a life sentence.
“Let prisons be prisons. We have a person who has caused us pain but they will go through that journey and eat, look nice, bath and be treated by doctors. They get more benefits than the families left outside,” said Chiloane.
The mutilated bodies of Zulu and Rabanye were found 1.4km apart, in Rockville and White City respectively, by residents after a nearly 24-hour search on April 20. The two friends were snatched while playing at Thokoza park in Rockville.
A police source working closely on the investigation confirmed to TimesLIVE that a 50-year-old woman, arrested with a 39-year-old man, was related to one of the boys. Their arrests came after a forensic investigation at the boys’ homes on Tuesday.
Image supplied (The funeral of the two young boys mutilated in Soweto, took place today at Jabavu Stadium. It was attended by community and Gvt officials).
