Family of five-year-old killed in hijacking get support from political parties, community

Organisations have offered to assist the Phalane family after their five-year-old son was fatally shot during a hijacking in Soshanguve, with Patriotic Alliance (PA) leader Gayton McKenzie offering a reward to anyone who finds the killers.

Ditebogo Phalane Jnr was killed on Friday night when he and his father were hijacked by a group of men in Block UU, Soshanguve.

While the family is reeling from the tragic loss, organisations have come forward to help them and ensure the killers are caught and arrested.

Family spokesperson Gift Makoti said they received visits and support from the community, government and political parties, including ActionSA’s Gauteng premier candidate Funzi Ngobeni, who was also a victim of hijacking and kidnapping in Pretoria last week.

“We had a lot of people coming to see us, including the ActionSA Gauteng premier candidate and his wife, the EFF, and the ANC ward councillor. We are expecting a visit from the Tshwane mayor. The family has been receiving plenty of support from people in government, the public and the community,” he told TimesLIVE.

Pretoria organisation Tshenolo Private Investigation visited the family on Sunday to offer assistance but did not want to disclose to TimesLIVE how they will support the Phalane family. It has offered a R10,000 reward for the culprits on its social media account.

McKenzie called on those with information to contact him on social media as he offered a large reward to catch the killer/s.

“I will give a R250,000 reward to anyone with information about the guilty party. Please (direct message) me personally on X. We must find them. I know someone knows who is responsible,” he posted.

Ditebogo Phalane Snr and the child’s grandfather will formally identify the boy's body on Monday.

The date for his funeral will be set after the ordeal.

EFF MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi assured the family on Sunday the party would put pressure on police to find their son’s killers.

“We are going to make sure the case remains part of the national agenda until justice is found. For there to be accountability, this matter needs to receive maximum attention.

“This is a matter of a five-year-old. No one deserves to go through what the Phalane family is going through. No one has to lose their child in the way they did and we are going to make sure police do their job,” he said. 

TimesLIVE