Delmas – The brutal murder of seven-year-old Thandolwethu Mahlangu on 12 November 2025 has left the Delmas community in shock, prompting widespread outrage and renewed calls for stronger protection of women and children in Mpumalanga.
Mahlangu was reported missing on 11 November 2025 by her mother, Ayanda Ngwenyama, after she failed to return home from visiting her father the previous evening. Community members searched overnight but found no trace of the child.
The following morning, Ngwenyama received a threatening text message from an unknown number demanding R30,000, allegedly owed by the child’s father in exchange for Mahlangu’s safe return.
Police immediately opened a missing-person inquiry and traced the number to the Botleng area. Loan sharks in the vicinity were taken in for questioning and several premises were searched. No suspects were identified.
The search ended in tragedy the next day when a neighbour cleaning his yard discovered the child’s body concealed behind a shack in Delpark Extension 2, with her legs sticking out from behind a shack. Police confirmed her death at the scene and opened a murder case.
SAPS Acting Provincial Commissioner, Major General Dr Zeph Mkhwanazi, described the incident as a horrifying reflection of the loss of humanity within society. “We will not rest until the suspects are behind bars,” he said.
Early findings suggest that the murder may be linked to ritual practices. A source close to the investigation said the child’s body did not show stab wounds, but appeared to have been pierced repeatedly on her back with objects resembling porcupine quills — items often associated with certain traditional rituals.
One of the child’s eyes was missing and her body appeared to be smeared with an unidentified substance believed to be a concoction. No visible blood was found at the scene, raising suspicion that the perpetrators may have collected it in a container.
Mpumalanga MEC for Community Safety, Security and Liaison, Jackie Macie, expressed deep concern over the escalating brutality faced by women and children in the province. Maccie said the murder was “disturbing and unacceptable in any self-respecting society.”
Macie further emphasised that while the government has introduced and strengthened laws aimed at protecting women and children, the surge in Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) cases shows that more collaborative work is needed to address root causes and ensure swift justice.
Community activist and South African National Civic Organisation (SANCO) representative Dikgetse ‘Slash’ Sepenyane said preliminary evidence points to multiple perpetrators who appear to know the family.
He said investigators were alarmed by a threatening message the family received shortly after the child’s body was discovered, in which the sender wrote: “We are done with your little dog, and the next one is coming. We wanted to dump the body at your doorstep, but because you were searching the whole night, we left it nearby. We are not done, we are coming for another one.”
Sepenyane said this has raised serious concern that another family member may be targeted. He said collaboration between law-enforcement structures has been strengthened, and expressed confidence that a breakthrough is imminent.
Community members and local organisations have rallied behind the grieving family in the wake of the tragedy. On 13 November 2025, She Unity Civil Organisation held a candlelight vigil at Delpark Primary School, while Delmas First Women condemned the brutal killing and called for urgent justice.
The Victor Khanye Local Municipality denounced the murder as “inhumane,” urging residents to remain calm and report any information that may help police apprehend the suspects.
