‘If only the police acted sooner’

The family of 10-year-old Katlego Joja, whose body was found in the Moretele river in Mamelodi, believes she would still be alive if police started searching for her earlier.

Joja, who was autistic, went missing from her Mamelodi West home last week. 

Her uncle Thabiso Storom says when Joja's mother initially went to the police to report her child’s disappearance she was told to come back the next day.  

"It was nerve wracking. The mom went (and) at first they told her they can’t help her, she must go look for her as she might be with friends. She tried to explain the situation that Katlego didn't know how to make friends and the police asked questions like ‘is she a naughty child, does she always disappear?' It was really difficult," says Storom.

He says eventually they received assistance from a friend in the police. 

"When my mother went say about 2 hours later to report they didn’t find Katlego, she suggested to the police that she leave her number in case she was found so they can call her. Only when my brother got a captain, who is a spokesperson at the police station,  we were able to get a case number. So imagine the amount of time wasted when the police could have done something when it crucial.”

Storom says the fact that his niece suffered from autism made the search for her so much more difficult, as she was not able to communicate. 

Police are  investigating her disappearance and death and no arrests have been made.