Johannesburg – The body of a 12-year-old boy whose alleged murder sparked mass protests in Coligny in the North West was identified by family members, police said on Sunday.
“We managed to trace the family that confirmed the boy is their child,” police spokesperson Colonel Sabata Mokgwabone said on Sunday.
The alleged murder of the boy, who authorities said was 12 years old, was apparently the reason for violent protests in the area last week when residents went on a rampage, burning and looting businesses. On Friday, the two men accused of killing the victim appeared in the Coligny Magistrate's Court facing a charge of murder. The two, aged between 27 and 34, appeared scruffy and looked tired in court.
Residents claimed that a farmer had assaulted the boy after finding him in his maize field on Friday, City Press reported on Tuesday.
The court ordered that the media should not take pictures pending an identity parade.
