Police have launched a murder investigation after the body of a seven-year-old girl was discovered in Khayelitsha on Wednesday morning, just hours after she was reported missing.

The child had disappeared on Tuesday evening, and her body was later found dumped near her home in Nambuzane Street, Kuyasa, between 7 and 8am the following day.

Western Cape police spokesperson Sergeant Wesley Twigg confirmed the grim discovery: “Harare police registered a murder case for investigation after the body of a seven-year-old girl was discovered on Wednesday morning, 23 July 2025, between 7 and 8 o’clock, in Nambuzane Street, Kuyasa, Khayelitsha.

“The victim sustained injuries to her head and was declared dead at the scene by medical personnel. According to reports, the child was reported missing last night. The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation, and arrests are yet to be made.”

The incident has sparked outrage from anti-gender-based violence organisation Ilitha Labantu, which described the murder as “a betrayal of our collective responsibility”.

“The murder of a child is an act so heinous that it shakes the very foundation of any society. It is not merely a crime but a betrayal of our collective responsibility to protect the most vulnerable among us,” said spokesperson Siyabulela Monakali.

“That a child can go missing in the night and be found discarded on a street the next morning reflects the deep and ongoing failure to safeguard children in communities where violence has become routine. This incident is not an isolated case.

“It forms part of a broader and deeply troubling pattern of violence against children across the country. From sexual abuse to trafficking to murder in the home or on the street, the common thread is a lack of real protection and a state response that is reactive at best and absent at worst. Families are forced to navigate these tragedies alone while perpetrators roam free and communities live in fear.”

Monakali said this tragedy demands more than just condemnation and requires a nationwide intervention.

“It calls for the rebuilding of community-based safety structures, urgent investment in child protection services, and a public reckoning with the systemic neglect that enables these atrocities to occur. Until children are truly safe, society cannot claim any moral progress.”

He added that Ilitha Labantu remains committed to advocating for the safety, dignity, and protection of all children and will continue to work alongside communities to ensure every child is valued, protected, and free from harm.

Anyone with information about the case is urged to contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or use the MySAPS mobile application anonymously.

mandilakhe.tshwete@inl.co.za

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