A community in Delmas is in mourning today after the body of a missing seven-year-old girl, Thandolwethu Mahlangu, was discovered on Wednesday morning, prompting a murder investigation and an ongoing manhunt for her unknown killers.
The tragic sequence of events began when the child’s mother, Ms. Ayanda Ngwenyama, approached the Delmas Police Station on Tuesday, 11 November 2025, to report her daughter missing. According to police reports, Thandolwethu had last been seen on Monday, 10 November, around 18:00 when she went to her father’s house and did not return home. Concerned members of the community joined in the search throughout the night but were unable to locate her.
The situation turned into a potential kidnapping the following morning. At approximately 07:00 on Tuesday, Ms. Ngwenyama received a text message from an unknown number demanding R30,000 in exchange for her daughter’s safety. The message alleged the money was owed by the child’s father.
Police immediately opened a missing person’s inquiry and alerted all relevant role players. Preliminary investigations led authorities to trace the cellphone number used by the kidnappers to the Botleng area. As part of the investigation, loan sharks in the vicinity were brought in for questioning, and several addresses linked to the probe were visited. These initial efforts, however, were unsuccessful in locating the girl.
Tragically, the search came to a devastating end this morning, 12 November 2025, at about 07:30. Thandolwethu’s body was discovered in Delpark Extension 2. A neighbour found her while cleaning his yard, noticing small legs protruding from underneath rubble behind a shack.
All relevant authorities were immediately informed and attended the scene.
The suspects remain unknown at this stage, and a murder case has been opened. Police in Delmas are continuing their search and have appealed to anyone with information to come forward.
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