Philasande Shange, a seven-year-old boy who was murdered allegedly by people who wanted to 'teach' his family a lesson will finally be buried after the police concluded the DNA analysis. Philasande was kidnapped and was his body mutilated and his body parts were buried in different locations around Ntshawini in Stanger, KwaZulu Natal. All this unfolded in January this year, just days before schools re-opened.
Philasande went missing while on his way to a nearby tuckshop. The family told ZiMoja that they received text messages from an untraceable number informing them where they would find Philasande's body. His aunt Sinenhlanhla Shange said they went to the area to search for the body. "The message also said Philasande was killed to teach our family a lesson. We were also ordered to leave the village," Shange told ZiMoja earlier this year, adding that they did not have anyone they thought hated them so much to the point of killing one of their own. 'its difficult to pinpoint who could have done this because most of our neighbours do not talk to us.
Philasande's other aunt Thembekile Shange confirmed that the burial will happen on Saturday. "On January 5th, 2023 our family went through a nightmare when my cousin's son Philasande was kidnapped and murdered in Stanger, we found his body parts in and around Stanger after a few anonymous tip-offs that his some of his body parts were being sent to Mozambique for what we believe was for performing rituals. It's been a long, emotional and very traumatic experience for the family. Today we'd like to extend our gratitude to everyone who has been supporting the family. Last week after months of investigations and DNA testing, it was indeed confirmed that the body parts found were a match to that of Philasande's mother," she said. Thembekile further said that Philasande will finally be laid to rest this weekend. "We hope this will bring peace and closure to the Shange family. We appreciate everyone who wants to come out and show their support," she said. Thembekile said that no one has been arrested concerning the matter.
