What began as an anxious search for a missing nine-year-old girl in Hanover Park escalated into a night of unrest and violent confrontations on Tuesday, after the child was discovered inside the residence of a recently released parolee—just metres from where she had last been seen.
According to her family, the young girl had left home at approximately 3pm to attend madressa at a nearby mosque. On her way, she reportedly encountered a man who handed her R20 and asked her to purchase milk from a local tuckshop. Her family says she never returned.
“I had just stepped out of the taxi when my mother phoned me to say my daughter hadn’t come home and they were looking for her,”
said her father, aged 29.
“When I asked why I wasn’t told sooner, she said she had just come home and they’d already checked the mosque and searched the area. We went to the girl she was walking with, who told us that a man gave her R20 for milk. My daughter went to take the milk to him and never came back. That girl didn’t see where the man went.”
Missing persons’ organisations were quickly alerted. Their immediate mobilisation led to the child’s photograph being widely circulated on social media platforms, drawing widespread concern from the public.
Local group Faith and Hope Missing Persons played a crucial role in coordinating the early response. Founder Veranique ‘Benji’ Williams explained how events unfolded once the alarm was raised.
“The moment the father contacted me, I made contact with all role players like the station commander of Phillipi and also FCS, and Captain Pretorius,”
she said.
“We had a quick response, and that’s why we had success. The community needs to know who is in their area, whether it is a parolee or someone who comes from jail, so that they can be aware. This is an eye-opening one over and over for our communities. It’s time that we need to fight back and say enough is enough for our children and hands off our children!”
She added:
“Parents need to know where their kids are going and also know in what environment they are playing. We thank the community of Hanover Park that assisted in finding the girl.”
Following tips from residents and the girl’s companion, the child was found in a house on Johnvlei Road. Her father later confirmed she had spent over five hours inside the property.
“I only found out at the hospital that he was on parole,”
he said, adding that the family was arranging trauma counselling for her.
By 8pm, news of the discovery had spread rapidly, and an estimated crowd of hundreds gathered outside the suspect’s house. Tensions quickly escalated as anger turned to fury.
According to community leader Moulana Tohaa Rodrigues, the situation was exacerbated by the perception that law enforcement was sluggish and dismissive.
“The suspect gave the girl R20 and asked her to get milk. When she returned, he kept her in his house for hours,”
said Rodrigues.
“Once again, it’s a parolee. These men are released into our communities with no oversight. This is what causes chaos. The whole community rose to the occasion, but the police were reluctant to act. They defended the criminal rather than supporting the community.”
He continued:
“It wasn’t the police who found her, it was the community. And when people expressed frustration, they were met with bullets.”
Attempts by law enforcement to extract the suspect into a Nyala armoured vehicle ignited a violent backlash from the crowd. Stones were hurled, gunshots were heard, and several people reportedly sustained injuries. Residents allege that police fired live ammunition, with at least three individuals shot in the legs during the altercation.
The unrest reportedly continued into the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Police spokesperson Sergeant Wesley Twigg confirmed that officers had been attacked during their investigation.
“Philippi police have registered a case of public violence for investigation following an incident on Tuesday evening, 13 May 2025,”
he said.
“Police members followed up on information about a missing nine-year-old girl who was found at the premises. A crowd of approximately 200 people gathered and demanded that the suspect be handed over to them.
“Police took action to disperse the riotous crowd. A 51-year-old male was taken in for questioning. Police vehicles were damaged. Nobody has been arrested for public violence. The investigation into the matter is ongoing.”
The suspect, believed to be 51 years old, had reportedly only recently been released from prison on parole—raising renewed concern about the reintegration of parolees into densely populated communities with limited oversight.
The incident has sparked broader conversations about community safety, transparency around parolees, and the preparedness of law enforcement to balance legal procedure with public protection in high-stress, high-risk situations.
Authorities are urging anyone with further information about the incident to contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or submit a tip-off anonymously via the MySAPS mobile application.
