Dida Alfred Mabuza dreamed of becoming a soccer star.
Growing up with friends in the heartland of Mamelodi Sundowns, Dida, too, had ambitions of emulating the feats of his hero - former Sundowns striker Daniel "Mambush" Mudau.
On Monday, an empty desk and chair in his Grade 3 classroom at Mamelodi's Boikgantsho Primary School presented his classmates with the grim reality that dreams do not necessarily always come true.
Dida was reported missing on Thursday, and a three-day search ended with the discovery of his body on Saturday night in the veld between Mamelodi and Nellmapius.
Still dressed in his school uniform, the eight-year-old was found by a family member, strung up from a tree by his tie.
His knees were barely touching the ground, his shoes and socks had been removed and his school shorts were pulled over his head.
School principal Eva Mosago said the school had received the news on Monday morning with distress and anger.
"He was only a little boy. What could he ever have done to deserve this?" she said, adding that Dida was a cheerful child who loved soccer.
A teacher who taught Dida in grades 1 and 2 was too distraught to speak to the media, saying only that Dida's killing was "hopelessly senseless".
His classmates were subdued and bewildered, with eight-year-old Mpho Mathedimosa simply saying: "Dida's gone."
A newfound friend, Sandile Ntuli, said Dida was the best soccer player in the school.
"But he can't play for Sundowns anymore, can he?" the eight-year-old stated.
Police say preliminary investigations suggest that the boy, who was last seen alive when he left school on Thursday afternoon, had been murdered.
Dida lived a block away from his school with an aunt in Mamelodi East.
He also spent time with an uncle in Nellmapius who took care of the boy when his mother 28-year-old Maria was sentenced last year to a 10-month prison term for shoplifting.
She is serving her sentence at Pretoria Central Prison and is due for release in June.
Bheki Manzini, spokesperson for the department of correctional services, said Maria would be informed of her son's death after an official death certificate had been issued.
Manzini said she could apply for a temporary release to attend the funeral, scheduled to take place in Mamelodi on Friday.
Dida's aunt Lizzie Mabuza, 35, said his death had shocked the family.
Investigating officer Inspector David Sengange said he was confident of making an arrest soon.