Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
The fear that haunts terrified parents
Murder of little girl brings adults together to fight scourge
HER BROTHER grabs her tiny hand as he sees she appears to be wandering off along one of the narrow, sandy pathways that divide the shacks of Enkanini, the place they call home. A neighbour quickly appears and reprimands them in a motherly tone, warm but firm, urging them to rush home to “mamma”.
Dressed in a summery pink and orange butterfly print dress, 2-year-old Iminathi Dlalo had awoken from her afternoon nap.
She’d made her way outdoors after her mother, Thabisa Dlalo, 28, left her in the care of a neighbour while she visited a friend nearby.
When Weekend Argus arrived in the area, there were a few minutes when the toddler the department, said Ngobese.
Now the department, with the area’s local community policing forum, is working to build a network of “safety parents” to provide a temporary safe haven for children in need.
Meanwhile, the women of Enkanini vacillate between rage at the perpetrator’s appalling crime, disbelief that he is a man they knew and believed had a great love for children, and overwhelming fear.
They fear for the safety of their children, some of whom had spent carefree days playing with Anovuyo. They fear the ever- increasing number of crimes against women and children. And they fear men.
“Every man is supposed to be like a father to the kids, protecting them against harm, but now we can’t trust them. We knew the killer; he was a nice person who never hurt anyone. Women are not safe among men, especially our little girls,” said Luleka Mehlo, 40.
A single mother, she fears for the safety of her only child, her 6-year-old daughter Onako Mehlo.
“It still hurts to think what happened to Anovuyo. It’s very painful to the whole community.”
During his first court appearance on Tuesday in the Khayelitsha Magistrate’s Court, details emerged that the suspect, 32- year- old Bongani Dlamini, had confessed to his girlfriend he had “committed a crime”. He faces charges of kidnapping and murder.
Footprints traced from the crime scene led police to Dlamini’s shack. The inside walls were still stained with blood – evidence of the events that may have unfolded during the gruesome attack on the defenceless little girl.
His bail application will resume on March 23.
The news of Dlamini’s arrest enraged residents, who tore down his shack. They also threatened to kill him.
“He shouldn’t get bail, he shouldn’t come back out. He should die in jail,” Mehlo declared.
She was the one who had, earlier, instructed the young Dlalo siblings to go home, out of harm’s way.
“I can only think what happened to poor Anovuyo, so I don’t want to see another girl child walking alone.”
Mothers like her feel helpless, frustrated. Besides keeping their children “hostage” indoors, they don’t know how to keep them safe. “We want our kids to become tomorrow’s leaders, not to become victims,” Mehlo said.
● Anyone interested in applying to become a safety parent should contact the Social Development department hotline on 0800 220 250.
‘We don’t know