Sivenathi Gosa
What was supposed to be a family birthday celebration ended in tragedy when two sisters were found dead.
The bodies of Emihle Singqoto, 15, and Anako Singqoto, 11, were found by men from Bhingqala location in Peddie on Tuesday evening, after a suspicious text message was sent to one of the sisters’ relatives.
Monday was Emihle’s 15th birthday and she and Anako were last seen leaving home with a man regarded as a family friend.
The man said he would walk the sisters to their aunt’s home nearby but the girls never reached their destination.
Instead the man sent a worrying Facebook inbox message to a young relative of the sisters which made the family realise the girls were missing.
A search ensued for both the sisters and the man. He has yet to be located.
The gruesome discovery was made in a bushy area within the village where the sisters grew up.
Provincial police spokesperson Colonel Sibongile Soci confirmed two murder cases have been opened for investigation by Peddie police.
“The bodies were found with multiple wounds in the nearby bushes. The circumstances surrounding the murders and the motive form part of the investigation.
“No arrests have been made as yet, and the SAPS is following up on strong leads,” Soci saidChild rights activist and Khula Community Development Projects director Petros Majola said the provincial government needed to look at how to deal with gender-based violence.
“We are in the middle of a battle against GBV; it is shocking to learn about these cases, especially when it involves children, as we know they are defenceless.
“The government must work towards building a GBVF free society. Yet children are dying at the hands of men who are supposed to be part of these programmes,” Majola said.
He said they would work alongside all relevant role players.
He appealed to Ngqushwa acting mayor Fumanekile Phumaphi and social development MEC Siphokazi Mani to make contact with provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Liziwe Ntshinga to ensure the deployment of good detectives on the case.
“We were happy with the investigation on the Kwaaiman murder of a mother and five of her children last year as it was investigated by the organised crime unit, and a breakthrough was made in a very short time.
“We call upon the SAPS to work towards the arrest of the suspect, who disappeared from work immediately after this incident,” Majola said.
The bodies of Emihle Singqoto, 15, and Anako Singqoto, 11, were found on Tuesday evening.
Image: SUPPLIED
