‘Nothing to celebrate but to drown in tears and pain,’ say family of murdered Bokgabo Poo on her sixth birthday

Bokgabo Poo and her father, Irvin Ndlovu. (Photo: Supplied)

By Michelle Banda

12 Jan 2024

Bokgabo ‘Connie’ Poo was only four when she was abducted, raped, murdered and her little body mutilated in 2022. With the alleged perpetrator having been acquitted in August 2023 and some of her remains still unaccounted for, her father, Irvin Ndlovu, says that with his daughter’s killers roaming free, the family feels let down by the justice system.

On Friday, 12 January 2024, Bokgabo “Connie” Poo should have been celebrating her sixth birthday. However, almost two years after her abduction, murder and mutilation, her family is still grappling with the absence of justice and the mystery of the whereabouts of the rest of her body.

Read more in Daily Maverick: A mother’s grief – ‘My dearest Bokgabo, they may have taken away parts of your body but your spirit lives forever’

A tribute at Bokgabo Poo’s gravesite. (Photo: Supplied)

Bokgabo’s tragic story began on 10 October 2022, when she was lured away from a park in Wattville, Benoni, by an unknown man later identified as Ntokozo Khulekani Zikhali. Only some of her remains were discovered in Tamboville, leaving her family devastated and searching for closure.

Zikhali, initially arrested in connection with Bokgabo’s disappearance, was acquitted in August 2023 of the murder, rape and mutilation charges. However, in the same month he was sentenced to life imprisonment for raping a nine-year-old girl in August 2021.

Read more in Daily Maverick: Community angered after suspect acquitted of killing Bokgabo — days before being sentenced to life for another crime

Bokgabo and her father, Irvin Ndlovu. Bokgabo Poo and her father, Irvin Ndlovu. (Photo: Supplied)

On what would have been Bokgabo’s sixth birthday, her father, Irvin Ndlovu, shared the heartbreak of a family denied justice.

“While today was meant to be a celebration of Bokgabo’s life as it’s her birthday. But we are heartbroken as we are reminded of the pain from almost two years ago. We are reminded that we have not received any form of justice. My daughter’s killers are still roaming around the streets and therefore, for us, there is nothing to celebrate but to drown in tears and pain. We feel let down by the justice system.

My little girl will be turning six today, but she is nowhere to celebrate it with us or her friends… She would be running around counting numbers and learning language and alphabet at school.

“There is not much communication happening, no feedback. I guess they just want this case to turn into a cold one just like the rest. But we will not rest until justice is served. My little girl will be turning six today, but she is nowhere to celebrate it with us or her friends… She would be running around counting numbers and learning language and alphabet at school. She has been deprived of this. I wish everyone involved could be exposed and punished.

“Happy heavenly birthday my little girl! Happy heavenly birthday Bokgabo!”

While Bokgabo Poo’s horrifying case initially stirred grief and fury, the lack of progress and justice highlights a broader issue in a country grappling with under-reported child murders. In a nation witnessing an alarming average of three child murders a day, the need for action and systemic change is becoming increasingly urgent.

https://youtu.be/ryPsWk9Bx2w?si=EDyNbKvWtYvgSlDA

As Bokgabo’s family marks this sombre occasion, the tragic narrative underscores the pressing need for tangible measures to protect the nation’s children and deliver justice for victims like Bokgabo Diseko Poo. DM

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