BREAKING: Bones and blood-stained dress found during search for missing Anovuyo Oncke

On September 7, 2025, residents of Riemvasmaak informal settlement, Phumlani Village, were devastated when eight-year-old Anovuyo Oncke disappeared from her home. The Grade 1 learner from Perivale Primary School was last seen wearing black pants and a pink pajama top as she left the house at around 7 am. A community prayer gathering was held later that day by Beryl Williams, a community worker, who had gathered donations for the event.

As residents cleaned up, frantic screams erupted after what appeared to be human bones were discovered near a suspicious shack. The shack had been a point of concern for months, with residents suspecting the man who lived there of Anovuyo's disappearance after he was caught holding a 16-year-old girl against her will. After her assault and rape, the suspect fled the scene.

Police were called, but residents were told to "dig themselves" and contact the SAPS if they found anything significant. In the following days, a blood-stained dress and a bloody padlock were also found in the area. Despite the community's desperate efforts to have the SAPS and FCS Unit deploy the K9 Unit to search for Anovuyo, they were left waiting for forensic results.

Police confirmed the discovery of bones and a blood-stained dress under a container, but could not confirm if they belonged to Anovuyo. Forensic examination was initiated, and buccal swabs were taken from Anovuyo's family. Community leader Sidwell Kweba urged the City of Cape Town to remove the container, but police stated that forensic investigators had to attend to it first.