Bodies found in hunt for albino teen and toddler in SA
A post-mortem is being carried out to discover whether two bodies discovered in South Africa are those of a teenager with albinism and her nephew who were snatched at gunpoint last month.
Gabisile Shabani‚ 13‚ and Nkosikhona Ngwenya‚ 15 months, were taken by three armed men from their home in Witbank, Mpumalanga province, on 28 January.
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Today, Brigadier Leonard Hlathi confirmed to South African newspaper the Sowetan two bodies had been found miles west, near to capital city Pretoria.
One had been dumped in a swamp, but both "were in a bad state", according to Brigadier Hlathi.
"A postmortem needs to be conducted to determine the cause of death and DNA tests to also confirm it is them‚" he said.
There are fears the two were taken because Gabisile had albinism. It is suspected her nephew was taken because he was mistaken for another toddler, who has albinism.
People with the condition - caused by a lack of pigment in the hair, eyes and skin - are often targeted in east Africa because of a belief their body parts could hold magic powers.
“There have been stories of people living with albinism being murdered for their body parts," eMalahleni executive mayor Lindiwe Ntshalintshali told South Africa's Citizen News in early February.
"These children have a right to live like any other child. The false belief that their body parts have extraordinary powers must be eradicated. Albanism is a genetically inherited condition.”
One person has been arrested in connection with the case, which sparked protests from Gabisile's school friends.
Credit: BBC
