Andile Moshoeshoe
RESIDENTS of Kokstad remain shocked after a human skull was found by a community member who went to relieve himself at approximately 7pm on Sunday, March 29.
The gruesome discovery occurred in the midst of growing concerns over missing children in the Kokstad area.
The children who recently went missing are: Lathitha Mtolo (7) who was last seen on February 26 as well as Banele Mshubi (3) who was reported missing on January 4. Both Banele and Lathitha lived in the informal settlement of Marikana. To date, they have not yet been found.
Police confirmed the discovery of the skull in a bushy area near Pieter Pierce, which is close to a river that separates the town area of Kokstad and Shayamoya Township.
The discovery created panic and speculation, with many linking the skull to the missing children.
Apparently the authorities dismissed those speculations by stating that the skull is believed to have been that of a 13-year-old, not linked to Banele or Lathitha. Although an inquest docket was opened for investigations and to determine the identity of the skull, police appealed for calm.
Kokstad police station commander Colonel Ralph Ruiters said that there was no evidence at this stage that linked the remains to the missing children’s cases.
“The skull is believed to be that of a teenager aged between 13 and 14,” he said and further said that the remains had been sent for forensic examination as part of investigations to determine the circumstances surrounding the death.
“We need to determine whether it was dumped there or whether there is a motive behind it,” he said.
The disappearance of Lathitha and Banele has caused so much concern within the community of Kokstad which has been seeking all possible assistance to find the children.
Meanwhile, a person of interest in Lathitha’s case was arrested and later released after his case was not enrolled in court due to lack of evidence. The release of the person of interest led to protests in the township areas of Kokstad.
On March 21 at the Human Rights Day commemoration event in Kokstad, KwaZulu-Natal premier Thami Ntuli called for the safe return of the two missing children.
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. He also met 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.
