Now the father of little Iyapha Yamile would like to hear from his daughter’s alleged killer “why he did what he did to my baby”.
Odwa Nkololo made a brief appearance at the Khayelitsha Magistrates’ Court on Friday, following his arrest on Wednesday evening.
Nkololo, 29, told the court he would be applying for Legal Aid.
Iyapha’s father, Danile Ngongoshe, said the family remained distraught over the brutal death of his child in May.
“The pain is still very strong and I just hope that justice is served for my little girl. I hope proper processes are followed and the law takes its course with the person that was arrested and he is sentenced accordingly. I would also like to hear from him why he did what he did to my child,” Ngongoshe told the Weekend Argus.
Iyapha’s body was found stuffed in a plastic bag in Zone 14 in Town Two, Khayelitsha.
One of the four men initially arrested with the murder was the father of the friend she was playing with at the time of her disappearance.
Three shacks where the four suspects - aged between 20 and 30 - lived were set alight and destroyed after angry residents went on the rampage.
Two of the four suspects were released last month following inconclusive DNA evidence.
The case is due to return to court on Wednesday.