FAMILY, friends and community members have gathered at the Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa (AFM) in Naledi, Soweto, to bid farewell to little Keeya Mbulawa (4).
The funeral service of Keeya, who died after a cruel ordeal of being poisoned, choked and her body stuffed in a suitcase, allegedly by a woman who lived in the same yard with her, will be held on Thursday, 25 January.
According to Keeya’s mkhulu, Jesias Serongoane, the woman who abducted little Keeya on Saturday, 13 January, strangled her with a cable wire, stashed a sock in her mouth, locked her in a suitcase, and loaded the suitcase in an e-hailing car.
It’s said that Keeya’s mum, Nolukhanyo Mbulawa, immediately noticed that the little girl was missing and followed the woman to the car.
“She stopped the car and demanded that they check the contents of the suitcase before the car left. The suitcase was opened, and Keeya was found in the suitcase. The woman who abducted Keeya ran away at that point as Keeya’s mum, and the e-hailing driver rushed the baby to the hospital,” Jesias said.
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Unfortunately, Keeya succumbed to her injuries and trauma on Wednesday, 17 January, after being on life support for about four days.
“The alleged perpetrator of this shameful act is still at large. This is despite the fact that she lived with the families who stayed in that yard for two years and that she has left her fingerprints everywhere, including the suitcase and the fact that multiple passports and other evidence which suggested that she was part of a syndicate were found in her room,” Jesias said.
The memorial and funeral service started at 8.30am at the AFM Church and will end at 11am, and Keeya will be laid to rest at the Nasrec Cemetery.
