Three suspects arrested over murder of two children in South Africa

Three suspects have been arrested over the murder of two toddlers whose bodies were found in a public toilet in the Diepsloot township north of Johannesburg, police said on Wednesday.

A fourth suspect is being tracked down in a massive manhunt, according to police.

The bodies of the two toddlers, aged two and three, were discovered by a resident of Diepsloot township on Tuesday morning. The children, who were reported missing on Saturday, were believed to be strangled.

National Police Chief Riah Phiyega has given the case a top priority, saying "We want to make sure that the people who have done this are brought to book."

The murder of the children came after the body of a boy aged four to six was found in a field in Katlehong in the East Rand, Johannesburg, earlier this month, with evidence of torture and abuse before he met his cruel death.

Police could not rule out a possible case of a serial killer targeting children.

Residents in Diepsloot took to the streets on Tuesday, venting their anger and demanding justice. They looted foreign-owned shops, stoned passing vehicles and burned tyres.

By Wednesday morning, order has been restored in the township, police said.

Nomvula Mokonyane, premier of Gauteng Province, visited the area. She said the Diepsloot community has provided invaluable information to the police about the double murder.

"The community was able to provide the police with information on the site where some items that belonged to the two girls were found," she said.

"If we work together we can find the culprits and we hope the arrested suspects will help solve the case."

On Tuesday evening, President Jacob Zuma added his voice to the condemnation of the atrocity, expressing "shock and dismay" at the murder.

"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," Zuma said.

He appealed to the communities not to take the matters into their hands, and to work with law enforcement authorities to find the perpetrators and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.

South Africa has one of the highest murder rates in the world. Criminals often target children and women.

According to the statistics announced by the minister of police last year, the combined figures of all sexual offenses, including rape and indecent assault, indicated an upward trend of 2.1 percent in 2010/11 from 2009/2010.

Cases of murder of women increased by 5.6 percent and sexual offenses against children increased by 2.6 percent during this period.