THE Lichtenburg Magistrates’ Court in North West, postponed the case against Tshepiso Lucas Leeto (23), to 14 July 2022, for a formal bail application and Legal Aid South Africa will represent him.
Police reports reveal that Leeto, was arrested on Wednesday, 6 July 2022, for the alleged murder of his 2-year-old nephew, Neo Refemetswe Tlhame, whose lifeless body was found in a shallow grave at Extension 3, Blydeville outside Lichtenburg, on Tuesday, 5 July 2022.
NPA Regional Spokesperson Henry Mamothame said, “Police interrogation linked him to the murder and he was subsequently arrested and charged.
“The report further indicates that police were called by Neo’s mother after they spotted a suspicious grave near the river.
“The grave was dug out, and the decomposed body of young Neo was identified, with the clothes he was wearing on the day of his disappearance.”
Mamothane said according to the police, Neo went missing on Tuesday, 24 May 2022, while with his grandparents. However, Neo’s disappearance was established by his mother, when she went to fetch him after work.
He said, “After the fruitless search by the community members and Neo’s family, a missing person enquiry was opened for investigation. The police also joined the search, but Neo was never found, and further investigations are underway.”
The Director of Public Prosecutions in the North West, Dr Rachel Makhari-Sekhaolelo, lauded the Provincial Commissioner of the North West, Lieutenant General Sello Kwena’s officers for a swift arrest. “We trust the collaboration between ourselves and the police will bring justice to the family of the deceased”, she concluded.
