- The man accused of raping and killing four-year-old Bokgabo Poo dropped his bail application at Benoni Magistrate Court on Monday.
- The alleged killer Ntokozo Khulekani Zikhali, 28, from Brakpan, faces charges of kidnapping, rape, murder and rape of the girl’s body.
- Zikhali is also accused of raping a nine-year-old girl.
The man accused of raping and murdering four-year-old Bokgabo Poo dropped his bail application on Monday.
The alleged killer Ntokozo Khulekani Zikhali, 28, faces charges of kidnapping, rape, murder and rape of a corpse.
Bokgabo disappeared Wattville, Benoni, on October 9. Later, residents discovered mutilated body parts of her in Tamboville, also on Gauteng’s East Rand.
Gauteng National Prosecution Authority spokesman Lumka Mahanjana said Zikhali was out on bail on another matter when he allegedly kidnapped and attacked Bokgabo. It is alleged that he raped a nine-year-old girl in the earlier incident.
During an earlier appearance at the Benoni Magistrate Court last month, Mahanjana said the state had informed the court of its intention to file an application with the court to have Zikhali’s bail revoked in the first violation case. that his bail be granted in the Bokgabo case.
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“However, in [Monday]the State informed the court that it will no longer file the lawsuit since the accused will remain in pretrial detention [because] dropped his bail application,” he said.
Both cases were adjourned until February 14, 2023 for further investigation.
the death of bokgabo
It is alleged that on October 10, 2022, the girl had gone to play with a 5-year-old boy at a park in Wattville, Benoni, when Zikhali approached them.
“The defendant gave the child money to go buy lollipops and lured the deceased to an unknown location.
“Later that same day, the parents of the deceased reported the missing child to the police. The next morning, while a neighborhood woman was sweeping her garden, she bumped into a human leg, alerted a neighbor and they contacted the police,” Mahanjana said.
She said CCTV footage from a nearby tavern was discovered showing Bokgabo walking with Zikhali on the day of her disappearance.
“The footage circulated on social media, and when Zikhali discovered the existence of the footage, it is alleged that he fled to Boksburg.
“He was arrested on October 14, 2022 at a gas station after gasoline flagged him down to the police, who were at the gas station,” Mahanjana said.
‘Pressing for justice’
Speaking outside of court, the family told News24 that they hope to have more information about what happened when the matter resumes in February.
“I think the time he’s going to spend inside the prison, with a little bit of pushing, he could break and eventually he could tell where the rest of the body parts are and who he’s working with,” Tsholofelo Poo, mother of Bokgabo. , she said.
“I believe that if we continue as a family and the community to push for justice, justice will prevail,” he added.
Zikhali had been out on bail for the rape of another young boy when Bokgabo was killed. He had been arrested on November 7, 2021 after allegedly raping a nine-year-old girl.
His parents, Tsholofelo Poo and Irvin Ndlovu.
Father Themba Seya, a friend of Bokgabo’s family and his spiritual adviser, expressed frustration that the issues were being heard at the same time.
“We have an interest in the first case, but we need justice to be done. It puts more stress on the family to sit and listen to the first case before Bokgabo, when the victim is unknown and the family is unknown,” he said. .
