A 4-year-old girl who was allegedly kidnapped and carted through the street stuffed in a suitcase will be laid to rest on Thursday, January 25.

The young girl’s ordeal began on Saturday, January 13, 2024, when she was snatched and stuffed into the suitcase case.

Keeya was playing with other children in the yard around noon when Nonhle Matsebula, a tenant living in the same yard and also the prime suspect, allegedly abducted her.

According to Keeya’s grandfather, Jesias Serongwane, the family frantically searched for the child after realizing that the child was missing. “A lady who is a tenant at the place where the child went missing attempted to leave the property by pushing a big suitcase. When a Bolt driver arrived to pick her up, the mother of the missing child demanded to search the  suitcase, says Serongwane.

Serongwane added that when the suitcase was opened, the missing child fell out of the suitcase. 

“She was unconscious and had a sock in her mouth. On close inspection, it was discovered that she was also tightly fastened with a cable tire around her neck. The child was rushed to the hospital. She is still lying unconscious and fighting for her life in the hospital.”

The suspect, who is believed to be a Swazi national, disappeared, and she is still at large.

The death of Keeya Mbulawa not only leaves a family and community in grief but also sparks fear and concern about child safety in the country.