Limpopo -
Five of the six teenagers arrested in connection with the murders of three children in Limpopo are believed to be homeless, police said on Friday.
“One of the teenagers arrested is a scholarand the other five are apparently street children, but police are still investigating whether that is true or not,” said Brigadier Hangwane Mulaudzi.
The teenagers were arrested on Thursday following investigations that began in August after the killings.
Mulaudzi said the six were aged between 12 and 14, and would face three charges of murder, and rape.
The bodies of brothers Bafana Kekana, nine, and Hosea Richard Kekana, 10, and their 12-year-old cousin Johanna Kekana were found in Mookgopong on August 18. They had been stoned to death. Johanna had been raped before she was killed. The three were wearing their school uniforms and their hands and feet had been bound with shoelaces.
Bloodied stones, covered by a blanket and tree branches, were found near their bodies. The children were last seen alive on August 15, during a march to demand more teachers at their school, Dikobo Primary.
They lived at the Montadi Youth Care Centre. The arrested boys apparently lived in the same area.
Mulaudzi said the arrested children were taken to a place of safety while investigations continued. They were expected to appear in the Mookgopong Magistrate's Court on Friday.
Mulaudzi said local residents came forward with information. A reward of R100 000 was promised for assistance.
He said the community was shocked by the news.
The motive behind the killings was still not known. - Sapa