The suspect remains at large, and the SAPS has posted his image on their Facebook page, asking residents for help in locating him.
The residents of Orlando East Ward 31 were traumatized after a 24-year-old Mozambican man allegedly raped and strangled 6-year-old Amantle Samane to death on October 21.
Based on the information we have, Samane was playing with her friends in the streets when the suspect allegedly lured her to the shack he is renting in the area.
Thabo Kekana, the owner of the yard where the incident occurred, stated that the suspect has been their tenant for four months and that they are deeply traumatized by the event.
I wasn’t home when the incident occurred, but three young men told me they saw him enter his shack with a young girl and were suspicious about why he brought an unfamiliar young girl into the shack.
He added that after searching the entire yard, they discovered the suspect had fled.
Ward 31 Councillor Bongane Dlamini confirmed that the suspect is a Mozambican national. The incident has left the residents in shock, and they want the suspect apprehended before the community takes matters into their own hands.
The morning after the incident, he called his Mozambican girlfriend, who is the mother of his newborn baby. She had recently traveled from Mozambique to South Africa to introduce the newborn to him, as he had left Mozambique expecting a child.
“The communication between him and his girlfriend was made using his friend’s cellphone since he doesn’t have one. We tried to trace the number he used, but it is now off,” said Councillor Dlamini.He added that, according to the suspect’s girlfriend, this was not the first time he attempted such a horrific act.
“He once tried to rape a young girl in their country, but his girlfriend walked in on him before he could proceed. The families of Samane and Kekana are deeply traumatized by the incident. Additionally, late last year, another Mozambican national who was ill passed away in the same yard where the suspect was renting.
“It appears that foreigners are entering the country without proper documentation, and our residents are providing them with places to stay despite their undocumented status, which poses its own challenges.”
“We are truly hoping that residents will help the Samane family find closure as they prepare to bury their child. We are waiting for confirmation on the burial location, which could be in Orlando or at their home in the North West. Our hope rests with the Orlando Police to apprehend the suspect.”
The suspect remains at large, and the SAPS has posted his image on their Facebook page, urging residents to help locate him.
