By Joshua Whorms

Copyright mirror

The unsolved death of a 15-year-old school girl has remained shrouded in mystery as police believe the rebellious school girl may have led a “double life” before her untimely demise. Various theories have been sparked from the death of the girl, with the victim’s mother alleging her death was connected with prostitution brothels in the city. However, other possibilities behind the school girl’s death included strangulation, alcohol intoxication, or head injury – accidental or deliberate . Despite the speculations the girl’s death still remains a mystery 30 years after she vanished . Nobantu Zani, known as Mandy, is described as bubbly and outgoing child howeve,r the student was a serial school skipper and was a regular in the cafés and streets of Bradford. Mandy was the daughter of Mercy Zani-Merriman, a political refugee who fled South Africa in 1987 finding what she thought would be a sanctuary in England. Mandy’s father had been assassinated in South Africa by the security forces in the against the apartheid government. In 1990 Mandy, Mercy, and her two sons all moved to Bradford after the children attended local schools while Mercy studied to become a social worker. Tragedy struck the family on September 30, 1995 though when police visited the family residence informing Mercy her only daughter’s remains had been discovered. The 15-year-old school girl’s decomposing body was discovered by a walker at Druid’s Altar, in St Ives, Bingley – just outside of Bradford. The girl’s remains were crudely covered with branches and with her chiffon scarf tied round her neck raising suspicion the scarf might have been used to strangle the girl. Mandy was reportedly last seen alive on September 16, 1995, when she attended a party in Manningham – but after the party she vanished. Police believed the teenager could have led a double life as she was known to frequent amusement arcades and cafés in the Manningham and Bradford city centre areas. The 15-year-old had been a determined truant and a regular in the cafés and streets of Bradford’s red-light district, causing speculation she could have been a a child prostitute. She is said to have spent her final days in the amusement arcades and cafés of Lumb Lane, yet no-one in authority knew where she was. A year after her death, police said they believed someone was shielding the youngster’s killer. Detectives said they were convinced at least one person knew the identity of the girl’s murder. The lengthy murder investigation failed to track down the girl’s potential killer and at an inquest into her death in 1998, Coroner Roger Whittaker said there was not enough evidence to come to the verdict of an unlawful killing. After Mandy’s body was found Mercy revealed how the relationship between her and her daughter had deteriorated. She added she was begging for social services to take her daughter into care. Mercy said: “She was beyond my control. I couldn’t physically drag her to school. I pleaded with her.” She added: “What parent wants their child taken into care? Normally parents are fighting it. Here I was, begging them.” However the headmaster also explained why the girl was not treated as a priority. School headmaster John Hull said: “It is a simple question of resources. By the time you are 14 or 15, education is basically not compulsory in this country any more,” He added: “By September, Nobantu’s truancy had passed the point where our intervention could be expected to make a difference. There were other, more important, cases than Nobantu Zani. And there weren’t enough funds.” Dr Christopher Milroy, Home Office pathologist, told the inquest into Mandy’s death he believed her demise was due to strangulation with a ligature. However, there were two other possible causes he could not rule out. The doctor said the girl could have died of alcohol intoxication, or of a head injury – accidental or deliberate. Sadly, the decomposition of the body meant he could not be sure. In spite of the verdict, Mandy’s death was still investigated as a homicide. However the case still remains unsolved three decades later.