Mpumalanga Police Offer R20,000 Reward for Missing 6-Year-Old Junior Mabandla

• Mpumalanga police are offering a reward of R20,000 for information into the disappearance of Junior Mabandla
• The six-year-old was last spotted leaving his parents' home in Pienaar near Mbombela on 3 June 2024
• The province’s SAPS has requested that anyone with information about the missing child to inform the police

Zingisa Chirwa is an experienced Briefly News journalist based in Johannesburg, South Africa, who has covered Mpumalanga crime and current affairs on the radio for over 15 years.

Mpumalanga police are offering an R20,000 reward to anyone with information about the missing six-year-old, Junior Mabandla.

Mbombela child goes missing

The child was last seen leaving his parents' home in Pienaar, near Mbombela, on 3 June 2024. He was allegedly going to the nearby spaza shop to buy sweets. A couple of days after his disappearance, the township came to a standstill when residents protested against what they deemed as police inaction. At the time, police said the strike hindered the search for the six-year-old and that the protestors could unknowingly tamper with potential leads.

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Following the news of the reward, Mpumalanga SAPS spokesperson Colonel Donald Mdhluli told Briefly News that those with information on the six-year-old’s whereabouts could contact the province’s SAPS Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit, call the Crime Stop number 08600 10111, or share the information via the MYSAPSAPP.

South Africans fear for 6-year-old’s safety

Many netizens voiced their concerns about the dangers that the missing child could’ve encountered since his disappearance.

@yumslimpopo said:

“This is so crazy; we have to be vigilant all the time, parents. My son is 10 years old, and every time I send him to the shops, I make sure I stand on the corner and look out for him until he comes back. This world is wicked; it's so scary and unimaginable to lose a child.”

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@LovethL45957 added:

“Praying that they find him.”

@Vongani_B pointed out:

“Pienaar is a very dangerous place.”

@ddmhlanga1 commented:

“South Africa is now the hotspot for trafficking and kidnappings; it's scary. For women, it is worse.”

@MaceNompumelelo speculated:

“Maybe bamthumbile bamfake ngomeni ngenkani. Kune trend manje yokuthi bathumba abafana abancane nabadadlanyana babayise ngomeni. [They must have kidnapped him and put him in an initiation school by force. There is a trend now that they kidnap young and old boys and take them to initiation schools.]"

Mpumalanga police call for Victor Matsebula’s assistance in murder probe

Briefly News previously reported that the Mpumalanga police were searching for Victor Matsebula, who could assist in the probe into the murder of a 48-year-old woman.

Ntokozo Khaliphako’s body was found in the room of her companion in Buffelspruit, Nkomazi, on 4 June 2024. Police launched a manhunt for a male friend whom they suspect is behind the gruesome killing.

Source: Briefly News