A woman serving a 10-month sentence for shoplifting in Pretoria central prison is still unaware that her eight-year-old son has been found hanged.
Bheki Manzini, a spokesperson for the department of correctional services, said on Monday that Maria Mabuza would be informed of her son's death once an official death certificate had been issued.
"She will be duly informed as soon as the official documents are made available confirming the death of her child," he said.
Dida Alfred Mabuza's body was found hanging from a tree in the veld between Mamelodi and Nellmapius on Saturday night. He had been reported missing last Thursday.
Still dressed in his school uniform, Dida was found by a family member, strung up in a tree by his tie.
Dida lived a block away from his school with an aunt in Mamelodi East. He also spent time with an uncle in Nellmapius.
They took care of the boy when Maria, 28, was sentenced last year to a 10-month prison term for shoplifting.
She is serving her sentence at Pretoria central and is due for release in June.
Manzini, the prison's spokesperson, said Maria could apply for a temporary release to attend the funeral, scheduled to take place in Mamelodi on Friday.
"She will need to apply to the prison head for permission, the granting or denial of which depends on her record of conduct," said Manzini.
Should permission be granted, Maria will be escorted by prison officials and returned to the prison immediately after the funeral.
Dida's schoolmates are stunned by his death.
He had dreamed of becoming a soccer star. Growing up with friends in the heartland of Mamelodi Sundowns, he 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 was the grim reality that dreams do not always come true.
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, saying Dida was a cheerful child who loved soccer.
"When we heard laughter on the playground, we knew Dida was at the centre of the fun," said Mosago.
Dida's classmates were subdued and bewildered, but eight-year-old Mpho Mathedimosa offered his thoughts: "Dida's gone."
Another friend, Sandile Ntuli, said Dida was the best soccer player in the school. "But he can't play for Sundowns any more, can he?" the eight- year-old said.
Captain Piletji Sebola said a post-mortem would determine the exact cause and time of Dida's death.
"At this stage, we believe the boy to have been murdered," said Sebola.
The investigating officer, Inspector David Sengange, says he is confident of an arrest. "A member of the public has come forward with a possible suspect, and we are investigating," he said.