Mutilated body found in veld confirmed to be Bokgabo

Family positively identifies remains of missing 4-year-old

Mpho Koka Journalist
Bokgabo Poo, from Wattville, was found deceased.
Bokgabo Poo, from Wattville, was found deceased.
Image: Supplied

The family of missing four-year-old Bokgabo Poo have confirmed that the mutilated body of a child found in an open veld on Tuesday is hers.

Bokgabo’s father Irvin Ndlovu told Sowetan on Sunday that the family was called by the forensic team on Saturday to identity the body.

''We went to the mortuary and we managed to identify her. The birthmark on her chest and her missing tooth helped us to identify her,’’ said Ndlovu.

He said the family is devastated by her passing.

‘’We are heartbroken and going through a lot of trauma right now. We did not expect that the body police found on Tuesday would be our child,'' he said. 

On Tuesday, a mutilated body was found in Tamboville, near Benoni, on the East Rand.

This was after a 63-year-old woman who was sweeping her yard found toes and later discovered a leg buried in a shallow grave.

Ndlovu and Bokgabo's mother Tsholofelo Poo did DNA tests on Wednesday to determine whether the mutilated body was of their daughter.

Gauteng police spokesperson Lt-Col Mavela Masondo was not immediately available for comment.

On Friday, police arrested the man who was last seen with Bokgabo when she disappeared on Monday afternoon. 

At the time, Masondo said the suspect was arrested on Friday morning in Boksburg on the East Rand after he was spotted in the area by a member of the community, who then called the police.

The suspect was taken in for questioning about Bokgabo’s disappearance.

  • kokam@sowetan.co.za

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