The accused in the murder of 5-year-old Ditebogo Phalane Jr. were back in court yesterday, where chilling details emerged about the crime that shocked the nation. The investigating officer (IO) testified that the firearm used to kill the little boy was a stolen police weapon.
Through a translator, the IO—who cannot be identified—confirmed that ballistic evidence linked the fatal shot to the stolen firearm. “It was established that the cartridge which killed the child came from the same gun,” the officer stated.
Two of the accused, Ali Sithole and Nido Gumbo, abandoned their bail applications, while the third, a 36-year-old facing charges of murder, armed robbery, and illegal firearm possession, made a third plea for bail, claiming his children needed him. The IO sharply rebuked his request, asking, “What about the other child who was killed?”
Ditebogo was shot last May while hugging his father during a hijacking in Soshanguve. The suspects allegedly sold his father’s stolen bakkie for just R30,000.
As the Phalane family endured another painful day in court, their grief remained raw. “The pain still cuts deep,” a supporter said. The state will call another witness to oppose bail on May 28.
