KNYSNA NEWS - Friends, family and the Knysna community bid a sad farewell to the murdered 11-year-old Fraaisig Primary School learner Abongile Zama Mani last week on Thursday, February 19.
Mani’s little body was discovered in dense bushes off a footpath near Hunters Home on February 15 after he had gone missing two days earlier. His alleged killer, 51-year-old Witness Kopi, was arrested on the same day after showing police where the body was hidden.
The St James Anglican Church in Hornlee was packed with loved-ones, classmates, residents and those who were part of the large-scale search for the boy, who all gathered to honour his memory.
Knysna executive mayor Georlene Wolmarans, who had led the search, said Zama’s name would never be forgotten.
“Losing a child is the worst loss anyone can experience. You can never be prepared for something like that. The pain and hopelessness are indescribable and it is something that changes lives forever,” Wolmarans said at the memorial.
She added that no one knew why horrors like these happened and why children are taken away from their parents in such a violent manner. “These questions will remain unanswered, but we cannot let these violent deeds continue. We need to stand together and fight against them.”
“He was a quiet boy who was always obedient. He always had a smile on his face, worked hard in class and was known among teachers as Zama Zuma,” Berry said. She added he did not speak much, but made friends easily.
Knysna Visible Policing commander, Major Patrick Gogwana, who had also participated in the search, said he it was a sad day for him. “It is very sad for me to stand here today and tell Zama’s parents that I’m sorry for their loss as it is my job to keep our children safe,” Gogwana said.
He added that all those he met during the search had the same thing to say about Zama – that he was “a good boy”. "Although he was only with us for a short while, he was a good child – not all parents can say that.”
In the meantime, Kopi, who is a close family friend of the Manis, has appeared in the Knysna Magistrate’s Court. He waived his right to a formal bail application and the matter was postponed to April 13 for further investigation by the George Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit (FCS).
While the little boy's family is still unconsolable his aunt, Nomabhango Mani, who had custody of Abongile for a year before he was put back in his parents' care, said the family would do all they could to fight the horrors plaguing the town so that the boy they loved death would not have been in vain.
"Parents should be vigilant as the biggest monsters might not always be strangers - a shocking realisation they came to when they saw video footage of Zama leaving in the company of Kopi. "We knew him very well, we saw him as family."
The Mani family would like to thank the community of Knysna for their support during their tragic loss of their son. They wanted a special thank you to go out to Peter Emanuel (Robberg Quarry), Mrs Choonara (Kays of Knysna), Mark Beard (Autolink), Jerome Simonis (East Head Café), Hermann Kapp (Fruit and Veg City), Sunrise Wholesale, Pick n Pay, Knysna SAPS and Georlene Wolmarans.
Friends, family and the Knysna community bid a sad farewell to the murdered 11-year-old Fraaisig Primary School learner Abongile Zama Mani last week on Thursday, February 19. Photo: Ewald Stander.
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