BLOEMFONTEIN – The lifeless body of five-year-old Onkarabetse Leeuw was discovered on Wednesday afternoon near his home in Glen, outside Bloemfontein, bringing a tragic end to a community-wide search that began last weekend.
The discovery at approximately 16:17 marks the second devastating loss for the Leeuw family in less than three weeks, following the brutal murder and sexual assault of Onkarabetse’s three-year-old cousin, Katleho Joy Leeuw.
Onkarabetse vanished on Saturday 8 November around 16:00 after leaving home to collect a cap from a friend. According to his mother, he never returned. His body was found concealed beneath a cardboard box in dense vegetation on the southern periphery of Glen Location.
Also read: Police appeal for help in finding missing five-year-old boy from Glen
The tragedy follows the equally horrific fate of young Katleho, who disappeared on Thursday 23 October. Her body was discovered two days later by a passer-by near her home, bearing evidence of sexual assault and murder.
Katleho’s uncle Kholisiwe Jonas (30) appeared in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court on 4 November on charges of murder and rape and was admitted to the Free State Psychiatric Complex for observation for 30 days.
Free State police have registered cases of kidnapping and murder at Glen Police Station in connection with both deaths. A 29-year-old woman, understood to be the children’s aunt, has been arrested and is expected to appear before the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court in due course.
The double tragedy has sent shockwaves through the Glen community, with residents expressing outrage over the targeting of such young victims.
Police investigations into both cases continue.
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