A man who allegedly raped and killed a young girl before gouging her eyes out was rescued from an angry mob by the police. It's alleged that the man is the last person to be seen with 10-year-old Lusanda Nkomo from Umkomaas in the south of KwaZulu-Natal before her body was discovered the next day. The man allegedly asked the girl to accompany him to the shop to buy a soft drink.

Lusanda's mother Nokulunga Nkomo told ZiMoja that she cursed the day they welcomed the man and his wife to their community. "What makes me more angry is the fact that he lied to my face and said that he never went to shops with my baby girl. People told me that he called Lusanda and asked her to go and buy him airtime. When she came back with the airtime, he asked her to accompany him to the shops to buy a soft drink and that is the last time my Lusanda was seen alive," Nkomo said. She added that her daughter was coming from church when the man send her to the shop. "He knew what he was doing when he sent my daughter to the shop, how evil can people be? She was just a child and now I will never see her again because of a man who is sick i his head," Nkomo added. Lusanda's body was found a day after she went missing by the community. "The body of Lusanda was found dumped in the bushes. She had no clothes, and her eyes were gouged out with a knife. I have heard and read such stories, but I have never thought that it will happen to me. I have no words to describe how I'm feeling at the moment. That man took my baby girl away from me,"

Murdered Lusanda Nkomo

Nkomo told ZiMoja that all her daughter ever dreamt of was to become a doctor and take care of her family. "Now she will never be a doctor as her life was cut shot," Nkomo said. After the discovery of the body, angry community members stormed the man's rented room, took out his furniture and burnt it. He was also assaulted by the mob but was rescued by the police who arrived on the scene after being called. KZN SAPS spokesperson Colonel Nqobile Gwala confirmed the incident. "A 10-year-old child went missing on 17 March 2024 at V section in Umkomaas at Newhaven. A missing person docket was opened and a search was conducted. The body of the missing child was recovered on 18 March 2024 by a herdsman. Upon arrival at the scene, police found the naked body of the child. Police are still gathering information and conducting interviews from wife of the person who sent child to the shop the previous day. A male who sent the child was also taken by police for questioning. Charges of murder and rape have been opened at Umkomaas SAPS," she said.