A Khayelitsha couple, accused of the murder of 7-year-old Lolitha Kowa from Kuyasa, has made their first court appearance.
It emerged in court that Lolitha may have been raped.
The little girl was reported missing by her mother on Tuesday night after she didn’t return from playing at a friend’s house.
Her body was found the next morning in Nambuzane Street, not far from her home.
One of the accused is the mother of Lolitha’s friend, Nokuthula Matyeseni.
Matyeseni was arrested on Wednesday afternoon after a sniffer dog found traces of blood on a mop and a floor inside her house in Sindwadwa Street, which is about 1.5km from Nambuzane Street.
The breakthrough in the case came thanks to Tina, a biological fluid detection dog from the SAPS Cape Town K9 Unit.
Tina picked up the scent of blood on themop inside the house and alerted police to hidden traces of biological evidence, evidence that no human could have detected.
The mother’s boyfriend, Odwa Jack, was also arrested after blood traces were found in the taxi that he drives.
Their case has been postponed to 1 August.
READ: 7-year-old murdered in Khayelitsha: “We are failing to protect our children”
