SOMBRENESS and a sense of bewilderment cloud the Sobholo family and mourners in Zola Village, Komani, after the mysterious death of four-year-old Isiphile Sobholo.
The girl, who attended Greater Care daycare centre, was found hanging dead on a closed door of an outside toilet, with her whole body outside and the head trapped inside.
It is not clear how the child got hung on the tall steel door almost twice her height without any visible assistance to climb.
Komani SAPS have since issued a statement, in which Captain Namhla Mdleleni said, “Police are searching for a suspect who brutally killed a four-year-old baby girl in Lessyton, Komani. A case of murder has been opened and police are following leads.”
According to Mdleleni, the deceased had marks on her body. The grieving family believes that Isiphile was indeed murdered.
Isiphile, whose mother was also mysteriously murdered in Kings Park, Komani, in August, 2017, stayed with her grandmother, Ayanda Sobholo.
Spokesperson for the family, Stunkie Vundla, said they had gone to town in the blistering temperatures of Saturday morning and came back in the afternoon.
“When they got back from town, the child went to play outside the house with her noisy scooter. Her grandmother used the opportunity to take a nap on the couch after a busy day in town. After some time, she woke up and realised she couldn’t hear the sound produced by Isiphile’s scooter and went outside to investigate. She found her playing with other objects – not her scooter,” said Vundla.
Vundla said the grandmother went back to the house and moments later called the child back inside the house for a drink. But no one responded when she called Isiphile’s name.
“She went around the house calling her by her name without any response. As she intensified the search she made the gruesome discovery of her granddaughter’s body hanging lifelessly on the toilet door. Neighbours were immediately informed about the incident and police and an ambulance arrived shortly thereafter where they confirmed the death of Isiphile,” said Vundla.
She said everybody was in shock and trying to get their heads around the death of a minor, who evidently couldn’t have hung herself in such high place.
“Not so long ago Isiphile’s mother (Mpho) was killed by an unknown person or people. Police never updated the family on the investigations and now it’s Mpho’s child who has died,” Vundla said.
“Police must connect the dots and give us answers. Only if we had diligent police officers this would be resolved easily but the detective working on the case seems to be doing everything in his power to get to the bottom of this.”
She described Isiphile as a clever child with a bubbly personality. “Whenever she saw me in my yard she would shout ‘mother . . . mother!’ and call me closer and start lengthy conversations. We even miss the irritating sounds the scooter produced every time she rode on it,” said Vundla.
