Rape, murder of Soweto girl leaves community enraged

Police seek help with locating Simiao

Soweto residents are up in arms over the death of a six-year-old who was raped and murdered after disappearing from playing with other children.

Police have launched a manhunt for Pethe Sara Simiao, whom they believe can help with the investigation.

Simiao has been on the run since the rape and murder of Amantle Samane in Orlando on Monday.

Hlalukane Thobile, a resident, said what had happened to the child was painful.

“How do you take a child and murder her, let alone rape her? How does he strangle a child? How does he take advantage of a child’s trust like that?,” asked Thobile.

According to provincial police spokesperson Lt-Col Mavela Masondo, Amantle was playing with other children when the man called her to his rented shack at one of the houses in the area. “The suspect allegedly raped and killed the girl inside the shack. The matter was reported to the police who immediately responded and started searching for the suspect who is on the run,” he said.

How does he strangle a child? How does he take advantage of a child’s trust like that?Hlalukane Thobile, resident

Another community member, a mother of a two-year-old who didn’t want to be named, said this does a lot of damage to the sense of security of the children in the community.

“Now the fear increases; we were already afraid of crime and worried about our children but now this just makes it worse because the child was just playing and then he called her, picked her and led her away. Who’s to say that won’t happen to our children? It’s nonsense what he did and needs to be found,” she said.

Thobile added that Simiao was well-known in the community.

“No one expected this. We all know him. He works in the community and does right. He is quiet and always respectful but this is shocking,” she said.

Police are appealing to the community to assist in locating Simiao, whom they believe can assist in the investigation. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to contact Col Lazarus Mahlaela on 079 696 0854 or Capt Chris Moses on 082 822 7070.

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