Police identify man last seen with missing Bokgabo (4)
'We have his address, we hope he'll be helpful'
Image: Supplied
Gauteng police have identified a man who was last seen with missing four-year-old Bokgabo Poo who disappeared on Monday afternoon.
Police spokesperson Mavela Masondo said the man, in his mid 20s, was key in helping with the girl's whereabouts after he was seen in a CCTV video walking alongside her on Mdaka Street in Wattville, Ekurhuleni.
"He is reported to be the last person to be seen with missing Bokgabo Poo. We have his address, but police have not been able to find him.
"We believe the person can assist with the investigation," Masondo said.
He said police understood that the man lived about 2km from where the little girl went missing.
Anyone with information on the man's whereabouts is asked to call Lit-Col Scheepers on 082-319-9400 or call the nearest police station.
Day four of the search for the little girl saw patrollers searching the area again. Members of the community appeared tense with parents holding their children by the hand and some calling out for their children to return home. Every other taxi has a poster with Bokgabo's face.
The girl's grandmother pleaded for the safe return of Bokgabo, saying she was willing to take her in whatever form.
"If he can just bring our child back. Dead or alive, we want her back," she said.
The K9 unit, police officers along with community safety MEC Faith Mazibuko, were dispatched to a veld in Tamboville where there were reports of two men with a wheelie-bin who were allegedly spotted digging on Wednesday evening.
According to residents in the area, children playing in the veld saw two men with what looked like a child.
A mother who cannot be named to protect the identity of her children, said her two boys aged eight and six, came running home in a panic saying they had seen two men in the veld digging a hole.
"My boys were shaken. The elder one was more descriptive and said he saw a man wearing a blue overall and the other one a black T-shirt. He said he saw them take a plastic out of the bin and in it he saw a child," she said.
"They were so scared. The young one refused to eat and the older brother was very jumpy."
On Tuesday, a mutilated body was found in the same area, sparking fears that it might be little Bokgabo. However, her parents said as they await DNA results they were hopeful that their child was still alive.