Heartbreak in Delmas: Body of 7-Year-Old Thandolwethu Found Five Houses From Home After Chilling Ransom Threats
A wave of grief and anger has swept through Delmas Extension 4 after seven-year-old Thandolwethu Mahlangu, who disappeared last week, was found dead just five houses away from her home — two days after her mother received chilling messages from her alleged kidnappers demanding R30,000 and threatening to target the child’s younger brother next.
Thandolwethu went missing on Monday, 10 November 2025, less than an hour after her father, Jabu Mahlangu, a local security guard, left home with her mother, Ayanda Ngwenyama, to run errands. They returned to discover their daughter gone, sparking an urgent all-night search involving police and distressed members of the community.
By Tuesday morning, the family’s nightmare deepened when Ngwenyama received two terrifying SMSes from an unknown number.
The first message read:
“We are finished with your dog [Thandolwethu], but we want our R30,000… The other one is next.”
Minutes later, a second message followed at 7am:
“We are watching you… You can go and fetch your dog. We threw it nearby. We want our money… If he doesn’t send the money, we are going to burn the house where we found that dog.”
The messages, which repeatedly referred to the little girl as a “dog”, issued clear threats to kill again and even burn down the family’s home.
A terrified Ngwenyama immediately alerted the police, who intensified search efforts. Despite this, Thandolwethu’s body was only found on Wednesday afternoon, dumped behind a neighbour’s shack — heartbreakingly close to where she lived.
Police have opened a murder case and classified the incident as a kidnapping that turned fatal. Spokesperson Colonel Donald Mdhluli confirmed that a post-mortem will determine the cause of death. He declined to comment on whether any suspects have been identified or whether the threatening phone number has been traced, citing the ongoing investigation.
The community is devastated, with many residents expressing fear and outrage. The fact that the child’s body was discarded just a few houses away has fuelled concern that the perpetrators may be local or familiar with the area.
Thandolwethu’s death has sparked renewed calls for tighter security, faster police response, and stronger community vigilance as residents grapple with the horror of a crime committed so close to home.
Heartbreak in Delmas: Body of 7-Year-Old Thandolwethu Found Five Houses From Home After Chilling Ransom Threats