Killers Who Murdered 7-Year-Old Threaten Mother’s Second Child Unless r30K Is Paid

• A Mpumalanga mother is living in fear after receiving a horrific SMS from suspected killers
• This follows the brutal killing of her seven-year-old daughter in Delmas, Mpumalanga, who went missing on Monday, 10 November 2025
• The lifeless body of the seven-year-old was discovered a few metres from their home on Wednesday, 12 November 2025

A mother from Mpumalanga is facing the unthinkable after the suspected killers of her seven-year-old daughter allegedly demanded R30,000 to spare her son’s life.

R30,000 ransom demanded

Seven-year-old Thandolwethu Mahlangu went missing on Monday, 10 November 2025, about an hour after her father, who works as a security guard, left home with her mother. The mother said she got two messages from the suspected kidnappers around 7 am on Tuesday, 11 November, after police and community members had spent the night searching for her daughter.

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The mother said the kidnappers threatened her family in a message, claiming they had harmed Thandolwethu and demanding R30,000, warning that her younger brother could be targeted next. The threats came a day before her daughter’s body was discovered outside a shack just five houses from their home in Delmas, Mpumalanga.

Money demanded through CashSend

The second message warned that they were watching her and claimed Thandolwethu’s body had been left nearby. It also demanded that the father send the R30,000 via CashSend and threatened to burn the house where they found the child if the money was not paid.

She tried calling the number repeatedly, but it went straight to voicemail. She alerted the police, and two days after the community’s frantic search, her daughter’s body was discovered behind a neighbour’s shack on Wednesday, 12 November. A family representative said police attempted to track the cellphone number, but were only able to narrow it down to an area just outside Delpark in Delmas.

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He added that the police questioned the father about any outstanding debts, and he provided three names of people he had previously borrowed money from. Authorities interviewed these individuals but ruled them out, as he had already settled his debts.

Body found while collecting trash

The grandfather, Bafana Mahlangu, said he did not believe his son owed anyone money and questioned the legitimacy of the R30,000 CashSend ransom demand. He explained that the family could not afford such an amount and would have had to take out a loan.

Mahlangu described the family as being in shock. He said they were struggling to comprehend the events, noting that the children Thandolwethu had been playing with saw no one suspicious. Thandolwethu’s body was discovered by Jacob Skhosana on Wednesday morning, 12 November, while he was collecting trash. Skhosana recalled that while retrieving a piece of paper near a neighbour’s shack, he unexpectedly came across Thandolwethu’s body. He described being shocked and frightened by the sight, noting that the girl had a bruised eye and small needle marks on her hand and back.

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Mahlangu said the family has been left devastated by his granddaughter’s death, having long prayed for her safe return. The family is reportedly planning to have her younger brother live with relatives.

3 More stories about children being killed

• Briefly News also reported that the police in Limpopo are investigating a shooting incident in which a little boy lost his life in Polokwane.
• The South African Police Service is investigating a horrific shooting in the Cape Flats in which a child was killed.
• A robbery in Meadowdale in Bedfordview, Gauteng, became fatal when a little child died.

Source: Briefly News