Khayelitsha couple to appear in court for the murder of seven-year-old Lolitha Kowa

A couple arrested for the murder of seven-year-old Lolitha Kowa is expected to appear in the Khayelitsha Magistrates’ Court this morning.

Lolitha’s body was discovered on Wednesday morning after she went missing the previous evening.

According to her family, they first saw a photograph of her body shared in their Kuyasa community WhatsApp group. When they went to identify her, they found a screwdriver still lodged in her skull.

Her aunt, Ntombifuthi Kowa, said: “The last time we saw her, she had gone out to play with her friend.

"When she didn’t come home by 5 pm, my sister became worried and went looking for her. But the suspect – the mother of Lolitha’s friend – refused to open the door.

“We went back to the house three times. She only opened the following morning, when Lolitha’s body had already been found. When the police arrived, she had been washing blood.”

Kowa said the female suspect was someone the family trusted.

“She could come to our home whenever she wanted. We never had any fights with her. She was like family.”

Another resident, Mickey Linda, said this was not the first time the suspect had taken Lolitha without informing anyone.

“She once took her to Nkanini without saying anything. We searched for Lolitha, and the suspect brought her back the next day. We thought it was one of those things again. But this time, her refusal to open the door felt different.”

Western Cape police spokesperson Sergeant Wesley Twigg confirmed that after the child’s body was discovered on 23 July in Nambuzane Street, Kuyasa, police immediately launched an integrated investigation involving the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) unit, the Dog Unit, Public Order Police, Crime Intelligence, and Harare detectives.

“The biological sniffer dog led the members to an address in Sindwadwa Street, Kuyasa, where the child was last seen,” Twigg said.

“The dog reacted to blood on a mop and blood stains on the floor of the house, which are believed to be the child’s. An adult male and female were arrested in connection with the murder.”

The suspects are expected to appear in court on Friday.

mandilakhe.tshwete@inl.co.za