5 in court for girl's murder

2010-01-12 11:04

Pretoria - Five suspects, including a 14-year-old boy, will appear in the Soshanguve Magistrate's Court near Pretoria on Tuesday in connection with the murder of 10-year-old Masego Kgomo, police said.

Captain Julia Claassen said Kgomo's mutilated body was found hidden in a dense clump of bushes near her Soshanguve home on Friday night.

She disappeared on New Year's Eve.

Claassen said three men were arrested a day after Kgomo disappeared, and two more were arrested on Sunday.

They appeared in court and were remanded into custody.

Muti

According to media reports, pathologists on Monday conducted a post-mortem on Masego to establish how and when she was killed.

It is believed that tests were also conducted to determine whether she had been sexually assaulted and mutilated.

Reports said at least one of the five suspects was a sangoma, apparently involved in the use of body parts for muti.

The five were to appear on charges of murder and kidnapping.

- SAPA