South Africa News

AfriForum supporting family of missing three-year-old

Times Select reported in May that Lee went missing on March 16 while in Onke Mashinini’s care. The police subsequently found two drops of blood on the bathroom floor of Mashinini’s home in Roodekrans.

Liyaqat Mentoor

The private prosecutions unit of the civil rights group AfriForum attended the bail application hearing of the suspect arrested in connection with the disappearance of three-year-old Liyaqat “Lee” Mentoor on Wednesday.

DNA testing matched the blood to Mentoor‚ and Mashinini‚ who was being held on charges of child neglect‚ kidnapping and defeating the ends of justice‚ was also charged with murder.

AfriForum said the Mentoor family had approached them because they felt that the police had not “properly” investigated the matter.

AfriForum’s Advocate Gerrie Nel said they were confident the case would receive the necessary attention after speaking to the police.

“We will‚ however‚ monitor the case and continue to support the family. Our aim is to ensure that justice is served.”

Mashinini appeared in the Roodepoort Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday and his bail application has been postponed to July 18.