When Leah Khoza woke up to clean her yard, last Tuesday, as she normally does, she didn't think this would be the day that her life would be turned upside down. The 64-year-old from Tamboville, in Ekurhuleni discovered human remains of Bokgabo Poo in her backyard. The four-year-old from Wattville in Ekurhuleni went missing last Monday while playing with her friends at a par,k near her home.While police were inspecting the scene, other parts were discovered 800 km from the scene.

FIVE CHARGES INCLUDING MURDER

The 30-year-old suspect, Ntokozo Zikhali was arrested on Friday in Boksburg north.He appeared before the Benoni Magistrates Court of Monday morning at facing five charges of kidnapping, rape, murder, defeating the ends of justice and violation of a corpse. Gauteng police spokesperson, Colonel Mavela Masondo confirmed that the suspect also has a pending case of rape from last year where he allegedly raped a nine-year-old minor.

DISCOVERING HUMAN TOES

Leah explained while cleaning her yard;  she saw a heap of papers in her backyard and when she went to pick them up, she saw something that looked like a glove surfacing from the ground."When I looked closer I could see that it was actually human toes.I thought my eyes were deceiving me and decided to go back inside the house to try to make sense of what I had just seen in my yard, I thought I was dreaming.' She explained that she knew the shallow grave was not there the day before because she was sitting outside with her neighbour the previous night.

CALLING NEIGHBOURS AS HER WITNESS

She had also cleaned the yard that morning. Leah decided to drink a glass of cold water and went back out to the scene to confirm what she had seen earlier and indeed it was human remains. She called her neighbours to the scene to help witness what she discovered in her backyard. "My neighbours confirmed my suspicions and advised me to call the police to the scene."

SUSPECT TOOK ADVANTAGE

She explained that she was scared that the family and community members would link her to the kidnapping of little Bokgabo or other children who had gone missing in the area. "The suspect took advantage of the fact that she doesn't have a security gate and her home is used as a passage by her neighbours. "The mood in the area was already tense and angry community members were ready to punish those who might be linked to the disappearance of the child..History has proven that an old woman who lives alone is labelled a witch and is punished by being set alight by a mob,' she said, sharing her fears.

LIVING IN FEAR

Leah added that even now, days after the discovery, she is still not comfortable to walk alone in the streets."I don't feel safe, I fear that the suspect might have been working with another suspect and they might come for me. She added that she is haunted by the images of the human leg coming surfacing out of her backyard. "Every time I try to close my eyes I see the human limp in my yard, when I walk in the streets I feel like I am being followed by someone. I can't sleep without drinking sleeping tablets because every time I close my eyes I see the toes surfacing.' She still asks herself what drove the suspect to commit such a gruesome crime. "What did the minor do so badly that she deserved to die in that manner, what crime did they commit to be put through so much pain?' The case was postponed for October 24 by the Benoni Magistrates Court.