Johannesburg (AFP) - Two toddlers were found dead inside a communal toilet in a South African slum north of Johannesburg on Tuesday, in another case of increasing brutal violence against children, police said.
The bodies of the girls, aged two and three years, were discovered early in the morning by a resident of Diepsloot township. They had been missing since Saturday.
"It is not clear how the children were killed," said police spokesman Lungelo Dlamini. Unverified local media reports said they were strangled.
No arrests have been made, but the killings sparked rioting in the densely populated neighbourhood, where residents had blocked the streets with rocks and rubble.
Police spent the day patrolling the area, amid growing anger in the community.
"There is a high level of anger among the community members but police are keeping a close eye to the situation," said Dlamini.
Last month, the body of a five-year-old girl was found in a dumpster in the same area.
Dlamini said police were investigating a possible case of a serial killer targeting children.
The latest killings drew the attention of President Jacob Zuma, who expressed shock and dismay.
"These gruesome incidents of extreme torture and murder of our children do not belong to the society that we are continuously striving to build together," said Zuma.
Diepsloot, which borders one of the country's wealthiest gated estates, Dainfern, is among the most impoverished areas in Johannesburg.
Some parts of the squalid slum have no running water and residents share pit latrines or mobile toilets.
South Africa has one of the highest murder rates in the world. Official crime statistics showed that around 16,000 people were killed in the year-long 2012-2013 reporting period.
Most murders occur in densely populated and poverty-sticken areas with poor policing.
Source: Killing of two South African toddlers sparks outrage (http://news.yahoo.com/killing-two-south-african-toddlers-sparks-outrage-200743111.html)