Durban — Philasande Shange’s family have approached Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa) to help them find the remainder of Philasande’s body two weeks after his head and leg were found.
Rusa spokesperson Prem Balram said that on Sunday morning, at about 8.01am, Philasande’s family contacted Rusa requesting assistance in locating the 7-year-old’s missing body parts.
Philasande was reported missing on Thursday, January 5, after he failed to return from a tuck shop near his home in Ntshawini in KwaDukuza (Stanger).
On Sunday, January 10, his family, police and emergency services recovered his head and leg near a stream after receiving a string of SMS messages from an unknown number, directing them to the remains. The cellphone number the SMSes were sent from was confirmed to be untraceable.
The family have since received further messages from the same number informing them that the remaining body parts were sold in Mozambique.
The person behind the messages also advised them to leave the area or the killings will continue. The messages are believed to be sent by the person responsible for the child’s decapitation and dismemberment.
“Out of desperation, the Shange family consulted with two traditional healers who advised that his remains were buried in an area near their home.
“The community and police with specialised dogs have searched the area but were unable to locate the remaining body parts,” Balram said.
The Rusa R44 helicopter will lift off on Monday morning to assist in the search of a vast area where the body is believed to be concealed, he said.
Balram said that the pilot and crew will meet the family for a briefing and search areas that are inaccessible to rescue vehicles.
The Daily News has been following the story since the boy’s remains were discovered.
After the discovery, the IFP demanded that children killers be severely punished and that justice be served swiftly to deter other would-be child murderers.
Their call came after the KwaZulu-Natal ANC Women’s League Provincial Task Team (ANCWL KZN) expressed concern over the rape and murder of women and children in the eThekwini region.
Moreover, KZN Social Development MEC Nonhlanhla Khoza described the murder and sale of Philasande’s body parts as “barbaric”.
“An innocent child's life was cut short by a heartless criminal(s) who need to be traced and prosecuted for their actions. As a society, we cannot continue to live like this anymore. The killing of children sets us backward,” Khoza said.
Daily News