Suspect in rape, murder of 7-year-old girl appears in KZN court

The kidnapping, rape and murder of a 7-year-old girl at the weekend has shocked the community of Umthwalume on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast.

A 27-year-old suspect has briefly appeared in the Umzumbe Magistrate’s Court in connection with Emihle Nyawose’s death.

Outside court, protesters say they’ve had enough of violence against women and children in the area.

Between 2016 and 2022 the bodies of 10 women were found hidden in the Umthwalume area after allegedly being murdered by a serial killer. The suspect committed suicide in police custody.

In the latest incident, it is alleged that Emihle Nyawose disappeared on Sunday(13/2) after she was sent to a shop. It’s alleged she was kidnapped, raped and then strangled to death.  The child’s body was discovered about two kilometers from her house.

It would appear the killer took the child from the vicinity of the shop and walked with her through a Gumtree plantation before pushing her down a bank into bushes next to a river.

VIDEO | 7-year-old girl found dead in uMthwalume, KZN: