Pretoria - Police at Kabokweni, in Mpumalanga are investigating a murder case after a body of a 27-year-old man was exhumed from a shallow grave on Tuesday.
“According to the information, the man was last seen with a friend on Sunday, 25 September, 2022. Since then, the man’s whereabouts were unknown. However, information surfaced that there was a shallow grave in the yard at a certain house in Kabokweni,” police spokesperson Colonel Donald Mdhluli narrated.
“Police as well as the rescue team went to the said house and upon searching, they spotted the shallow grave. After the body was exhumed, the family identified the victim as Mr Lindelani Thabethe.”
Mdhluli said police are still investigating, and no arrests have been made.
“No one has been arrested as yet but police are following some leads where possible arrests could be made soon,” he said.
Meanwhile, provincial commissioner of police in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela has pledged that the team of investigators “will work tirelessly to ensure that suspect(s) is/are soon brought to book”.
Earlier this month, the body of a 51-year-old woman who had been missing for days in Mpumalanga was found by police, buried deep in a pit toilet, near Emalahleni.
At the time, police spokesperson Brigadier Selvy Mohlala said two men were taken in for questioning in connection with her “terrible” death.
“According to the report, Ms Jemina Duba was reported as missing at Vosman police station late on Wednesday, September 7, 2022 after her family became concerned that they could not get hold of her. The next day, Thursday, the police began with their investigation and went to the place where her boyfriend resides in Clewer near Emalahleni. The members were trying to get information from people who knew her and find out if they knew her whereabouts,” said Mohlala.
“Upon arrival, they found a man referred to as her boyfriend who reportedly informed them (police) that he last saw her on August 25, 2022. Thereafter the man left. Police searched in the house without any success, but later discovered something sinister outside the house, when they checked around the yard (and) they saw a pit toilet piled up with soil,” he said.
After engaging with the landlord of the premises, police at the scene summoned their counterparts to help them with the search and the place was cordoned off and treated like a crime scene.
“On Friday, September 9, 2022, some experts in various units within the search and rescue team of the police converged to continue searching for the woman. They then managed to retrieve and exhume the woman’s body from the pit toilet.
“Preliminary investigation had uncovered that the deceased had a wound on the upper body and some bruises. As a result of this developments, police registered a murder case, hence the two men were taken in for questioning,” said Mohlala.
IOL