A 12-year-old girl will not walk into an examination room on Monday to write her Grade VII external examinations.
Instead of preparing for the next chapter of her education, her family is preparing to lay her to rest after she was found hanging from a tree in the Lubombo region on Thursday, in circumstances that have left her relatives devastated and her father under police investigation for suspected murder.
The girl had been reported missing after failing to return home from school on Wednesday. Her body was discovered by police officers and community members, who had joined the search, bringing a tragic end to the family’s desperate attempts to find her.
Her death has raised disturbing questions about what happened during her final hours, particularly following allegations implicating her father, who has not yet been formally charged.
The identities of the deceased and her family are being withheld pending the conclusion of police investigations.
The child’s aunt, who, together with the grandmother, played a significant role in raising and providing for her, said the family was struggling to comprehend how a child they had watched grow up could meet such a tragic end.
Recounting the events, the aunt said she received a telephone call from her brother, the girl’s father at approximately 8pm on Wednesday. He reportedly informed her that the child had not returned home from school and that they were searching for her from house to house, together with her sibling.
When she called again on Thursday morning, the child was still missing.
She advised her brother to visit the school and establish whether the pupil had attended classes and what might have happened after she left.
According to the aunt, her brother later informed her that he had spoken to the teachers and suspected that the child might have taken her own life because she had not completed some school projects ahead of her external examinations.
The suggestion did not convince her. She maintained that the girl was a bright pupil who was looking forward to her examinations and would not have taken her life before finding out how she had performed.
Concerned, the aunt contacted the police to report the disappearance and was advised to bring a photograph of the child to assist with the search.
However, before she could make further progress with the missing-person report, she received a call from another relative informing her that the girl had been found dead.
The aunt said she was informed that police officers and community members had discovered the body while following visible footprints during the search.
She alleged that her brother, who was reportedly part of the search party, had discouraged those searching from following a particular direction. That was reportedly the direction in which the child’s body was eventually discovered.
The discovery also brought back unsettling memories of comments the aunt said her brother had repeatedly made about four months earlier, suggesting that the child would not sit for her examinations.
Although she had not understood the significance of the remarks at the time, she said they became particularly troubling after the child’s death. The aunt further alleged that a community member had revealed that the father asked him not to disclose having seen him with the child.
According to information reportedly shared with the family, the father had met the girl along her route from school and told her that he had come to fetch her. Some of her schoolmates reportedly saw her with him, with the girl telling them that her father was calling her.
She disclosed that the police then took the father in for questioning, and he is currently in police custody.
The aunt also said the family had been informed that the child was sexually assaulted before her death. This allegation has not been independently established, and police have not publicly confirmed it.
The aunt described the deceased as a bright child who was neither particularly quiet nor overly talkative. She said the girl was also reserved about being photographed and often chose not to appear in family pictures.
She explained that she and the child’s grandmother had taken responsibility for much of her upbringing and general upkeep because her father had not been in a position to adequately provide for her.
The family is now faced with the painful task of arranging a funeral they had never anticipated having to plan.
“I am the only one working at home, and this is sudden. I had not even planned for her funeral. I am kindly seeking assistance from the nation in helping us give her a dignified send-off,” she said.
Chief Police Information and Communications Officer (PICO) Senior Superintendent Phindile Zwane confirmed that a 12-year-old girl had been found hanging from a tree. She said the incident had initially been reported as a suicide, although the possibility of murder had not been ruled out.
“We confirm that a 12-year-old girl was found hanging dead in a tree in a suicide incident. There is possibility of murder, but we are still investigating the circumstances of the death,” Zwane said.
Tragedy renews children’s safety concerns
The Lubulini tragedy has renewed concerns about children’s safety within family environments, particularly where those expected to provide protection may themselves be implicated in allegations of violence.
It comes against the backdrop of worrying gender-based violence (GBV) figures in the country.
According to the Swatini Action Group Against Abuse (SWAGAA), its case management programme recorded 711 validated gender-based violence cases between April and September 2025.
Of these, 72% of survivors were female, while children and adolescents below the age of 18 accounted for 28% of reported cases. Sexual abuse accounted for 103 cases, while physical abuse was the most frequently recorded form of violence, with 409 cases.
Particularly concerning was the finding that 87% of reported incidents occurred within the home, highlighting the vulnerability of people experiencing violence in environments where they should ordinarily feel protected.
The Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) also reported 4 700 GBV cases between April 2024 and January 2025, representing an 8% increase compared with 2023, according to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).
Meanwhile, the United Nations’ 2025 Common Country Analysis for Eswatini reported that 8.1% of girls aged between 13 and 24 had experienced sexual violence, while 7% of women aged 15 to 49 reported experiencing sexual violence since the age of 15.
Although the figures cover different reporting periods and methodologies, they illustrate the scale of the challenge facing the country.
The Lubulini incident is also not an isolated case.
Earlier this week, another family was plunged into mourning following the deaths of two young girls, aged three and 12, as well as their 54-year-old father in an alleged murder-suicide at Mashobeni North.
A relative told this publication that the father had allegedly given his daughters a mixture of juice and a suspected poisonous substance before ingesting the substance himself. The children reportedly developed breathing difficulties and, despite desperate efforts by relatives and neighbours to save them, both died. Their father also died after being taken to the hospital.
The family had reportedly been preparing for his birthday celebrations, making the deaths particularly difficult for relatives to comprehend.
Eswatini has legislation intended to protect women and children, including the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Act of 2018 and the Children’s Protection and Welfare Act of 2012.
However, the recurring cases raise questions about the effectiveness of prevention, early intervention and protection mechanisms.
