Eastern Cape Community Furious After Suspect Arrested for Murder of Six-Year-Old Girl
- A community in Kariega in the Eastern Cape is furious and devastated after a fellow community member was arrested for the murder of a little girl
- Veronique May was found dead on 5 October after she went missing while playing with her friends in the afternoon
- A community member spoke to Briefly News about the victim and the suspect and said she was heartbroken that Veronica was killed
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Tebogo Mokwena, Briefly News’ Deputy Head of the Current Affairs desk, South Africa, covered a range of criminal activities, including cash-in-transit heists, kidnappings, taxi violence, police investigations, police shootouts, and court cases at Daily Sun for over three years.
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KARIEGA, EASTERN CAPE — A 27-year-old man was arrested for the murder of eight-year-old Veronica May in Langa in Kariega, Eastern Cape, after her body was found on 6 October 2025. A community member spoke to Briefly News about the hurt and pain that her death caused, and the anger the suspect's arrest roused.
According to the South African Police Service, Veronica May's body was found a day after she went missing. Speaking to Briefly News, a community member who did not want to be named said that Veronica was playing with her friends on the corner of the street when the suspect allegedly approached her.
Suspect allegedly lured victim with snacks
The suspect reportedly played for a while with Veronica and her friends, who were allegedly boys between the ages of four and eight years old. He allegedly took Veronica and said they were going to the shops to buy snacks for all of the children. The children allegedly wanted to go with them, but he turned them away.
A few hours later, Veronica's family members reportedly started looking for Veronica and asked the little children she was playing with. The community member said that the suspect came back and allegedly changed clothes when he discovered that the community was looking for him.
The community allegedly assaulted him after questioning where Veronica was. The police arrived and took him to the police station. The following day, the suspect was charged with murder after he led one of the investigating officers to where the body was. He appeared in the Kariega Magistrates Court on 8 October.
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Community grieved over the incident
The community member said she and other residents were devastated by the incident. She shared how the suspect was familiar with the community.
"We know him. His father was a leader of the community. Nobody suspected that he could do such a thing. We know the kind of person he is. He is the kind of person you could trust to go to the shop and he'd come back with the change," she said.
The community member said that the incident deeply angered and hurt the community. She said that the victim was friends with her.
"We are broken as a community," she remarked.
Children who were killed
Simiao Phethe pleaded guilty to the rape and murder of a six-year-old girl in Soweto in 2024. He was arrested on 24 October, two days after the body of little Amantle Samane was discovered in his shack.
An Eldorado Park man was arrested for the rape and murder of his four-year-old daughter on 6 August 2025. The police were called to the property and found the girl with the man and a little boy. The girl was badly bruised and rushed to the hospital. She was declared dead on arrival.
Couple arrested for child's murder
In a related article, Briefly News reported that a Khayelitsha, Western Cape couple was arrested for the murder of a little girl. The couple was arrested on 23 July 2025.
A sniffer dog led the police to the little girl's last known whereabouts. The police found blood on the floor and a mop in the couple's home and arrested them.
Source: Briefly News
