ANDILE MOSHOESHOE
THE KwaZulu-Natal premier Thami Ntuli has called for the safe return of two missing children in Kokstad.
He shared his concern and declared that the missing children must be returned to their families, whether alive or dead, for their families to finally find closure and peace.
As part of his programme for Human Rights Day in Kokstad last Saturday, March 21, he met with the local police leadership to receive a detailed briefing on the progress of investigations into the missing children’s cases as well as the broader crime situation in the Kokstad area.
The Human Rights Day event in Kokstad was heavily overshadowed by growing public outrage, grief and fear over the alarming spate of the disappearance of children that has gripped the town since January.
Banele Mshubi (3) of the Marikana informal settlement was reported missing on January 4.
Weeks later, Lathitha Mtolo (7) was reported missing on February 26 in the same area.
Both children have not yet been found.
Banele’s parents were arrested on February 2 for child neglect and failure to report the missing child.
Relentless search operations involving police have drawn support teams from neighbouring towns.
Rather than being defined solely by its symbolic observance of human dignity, justice and freedom, the Human Rights Day gathering became a platform for anguish, frustration and urgent calls for accountability since the community’s pain over the missing children dominated proceedings.
Ntuli’s remarks struck at the heart of a town living under a dark cloud of fear, with families and residents demanding answers as reports of children vanishing continue to send shockwaves through Kokstad and surrounding areas.
Ntuli and his entourage including local mayors visited Lathitha’s family and appealed to local traditional leadership structures to openly reject and condemn the dangerous and deeply disturbing belief that human flesh can strengthen or enrich so-called muthi practices.
His call came in the wake of chaotic scenes that rocked the town, sparked by public anger following the release of a suspect (33) after the court found insufficient evidence linking him to the case.
The decision triggered violent unrest with more than three houses belonging to traditional leaders burnt, forcing some of them into hiding amid fears for their safety.
KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Major General Ntombifikile Xhelithole said the matter had been placed under a highly sophisticated and intensive investigation, expressing confidence that the process could soon yield significant breakthroughs.
Ntuli further said that it was deeply painful that Human Rights Day in Kokstad was commemorated under such distressing circumstances. It was a time when the nation should have been celebrating freedom and reflecting on the sacrifices made by liberation heroes who laid down their lives in the struggle against oppressive pass laws. The Kokstad mayor Lwanda Madikizela told Ntuli that the government must work closely with traditional healers and ensure they receive proper guidance to promote the use of indigenous herbs rather than human tissue.
Meanwhile the Greater Kokstad Traditional Health Practitioners secretary Atho Doko has urged cooperation instead of discrimination and stigma, saying traditional healers should not be unfairly targeted.
He said they too are deeply troubled by the disappearance of children and have been assisting in search efforts. He said that traditional health practitioners resolved to inspect all practising healers to ensure they hold valid operating licences, while also calling for stronger collaboration with government structures.
