An advocacy group in South Africa has mourned the tragic death of 11-year-old Boitumelo Ranyamatsane, who was allegedly raped and murdered by her 50-year-old neighbour.
Boitumelo’s lifeless body was discovered on railway tracks in Bohlokong, Free State, on 29th December 2024. The group, in a statement released on Tuesday, 7th January 2025, expressed their heartbreak over the loss of such a young life.
It is alleged that the neighbour, identified as Dingani Mbhele by a journalist, summoned Boitumelo to his home on the pretext of needing cigarettes. He then allegedly strangled and brutally murdered her, leaving an open wound on her neck.
Boitumelo was laid to rest on 5th January 2025.
The suspect appeared in the Bethlehem Magistrate’s Court on 2nd January 2025, facing a murder charge.
Free State Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Baile Motswenyane, expressed her condolences to the family and assured them that justice would be served. “Crimes against children will not be tolerated,” she stated.
