Police in Pienaar previously requested the public to help reunite Junior Mabandla (06), who was last seen leaving his parental home on June 3, 2024, to buy sweets from a nearby shop. He has not returned home since then, and community members and the police have searched the area but have not succeeded.
In recent developments, the Acting Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Major General Zeph Mkhwanazi, has expressed concern over the discovery of the remains of Junior Mabandla (06), who went missing in Pienaar on June 3, 2024. An 18-year-old man was apprehended in connection with the discovery and is currently receiving medical treatment under police guard after being reportedly assaulted by community members.
The Police were called to a scene in Pienaar where they encountered a man who claimed to be involved in the disappearance of two children, a three-year-old girl and Junior Mabandla. The situation was tense due to the many people present, making it difficult for the police to manoeuvre.
During the investigation, members from various units, including the Serious and Violent Crimes Unit, Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit, Criminal Record Centre, and Forensic Pathology officials, attended the scene. The clothes recovered with the remains were believed to be those of Junior Mabandla's child, and the remains were collected accordingly by Forensic Pathology officials.
Despite the man not being charged, the Police are adamant that more could be discovered through the ongoing investigation. The body of the three-year-old girl is expected to be exhumed in Pienaar today, July 4, 2024.
Mkhwanazi emphasised that the Police will leave no stone unturned and urged the public to allow justice to take its course and refrain from vigilantism.
