Cape Town - This will be the hardest weekend for the families of murdered children Tamia “Mia” Botha, 4, and Lukhololwam Mkontwana, 8, as they prepare to say their final goodbyes.
Tamia’s funeral service is expected to be held in Paarl on Friday at 9am near a colourful park she loved to play at.
Her Daphne Street house has been busy as people were still conveying their condolences to her family on Thursday, while others went to see where they could assist.
The girl’s little bruised body was found dumped in a field near a primary school on September 26 after she disappeared the previous day from in front of her home.
A missing persons case was opened by her parents following a frantic search.
Emotions in the area have been high since the incident, with one person being taken in for questioning and then being released.
Last week, police announced the arrest of two men aged 37 and 40 who were due to appear in the Paarl Magistrate’s Court, but it later emerged they didn’t because they had been released.
Heartbroken father Gideon Thys said he didn’t know whether he would have the strength to see his daughter’s body.
“We are hurting and maybe knowing that someone has been arrested could’ve made a difference.
“Our child is not here and they are out there carrying on with life. “The house feels so weird without her noise. She was so playful and loved going to the park.
“It’s like she will appear at any given time. I am not ready or looking forward to saying goodbye to her.
“On the day her body was found I couldn’t even go to the scene and look, because I was scared to see her lifeless body and people had already described to me how she looked,” said Thys.
The Mkontwana family, from Nyanga, travelled to their home in the Eastern Cape on Thursday to prepare to lay their son to rest on Saturday.
Lukhololwam’s body was found dumped in Philippi on the same day Tamia’s body was discovered.
He went missing on Friday afternoon while playing outside his Nyanga home and is believed to have been tricked into getting into a black vehicle.
The following day a ransom was demanded but the family was only able to collect a total of R1 000.
They were never again contacted by the alleged kidnappers.
Police spokesperson Joseph Swartbooi said both cases were still being investigated.
“The investigating officers in both matters are doing more than expected, going the extra mile in gathering information that can lead to an arrest and a successful prosecution of the perpetrators,” he said.
Anyone with information regarding the murders can anonymously call Crime Stop on 08600 1011.
Cape Times