25 May 2010, 08:02
Two mutilated bodies - that of a 28-year-old man and a nine-year-old girl - were discovered in two different areas on the same day.
This has led police in Gauteng to launch a focused investigation into ritual killings.
The body of a naked man was discovered hidden in the long grass of an open veld in the Motsoaledi informal settlement in Soweto just after lunch on Saturday. The man's hands and legs had been bound.
His nose and ears had been removed. A pair of socks was tied around his neck, but he appeared to have no visible injuries. His clothes lay scattered next to him. His name is yet to be released.
On the same day, the body of the nine-year-old girl was found in Alberton. She, too, had body parts removed.
According to the police, the girl had been on her way to a nearby shop on Friday when she went missing. Her body was discovered in the veld the following day.
Police sources said investigators believe both were ritual killings and that their body parts were "harvested" for muti.
A Motsoaledi informal settlement resident, Siphiwe John, said: "That's such a cruel thing to do. He was naked. I saw one ear had been cut off and the nose was missing.
"Why kill someone and make them suffer even after they are dead? Who wants to be exposed like that? This is appalling," John said.
Although the body was discovered two days ago and had been removed, John has been unable to get the image out of his mind.
"I am anxious to know why he was killed in that manner. There were no bloodstains or any other injuries on the body, except the parts that were cut off. He was still a young man."
John said police had recovered a driving licence from the man's pocket, which indicated that he had been born in 1982.
"He is not from this area. Nobody recognised him," John said.
Diepkloof police spokesman Captain Philemon Khorombi said they were still trying to track down the man's family.
Now the residents are worried because they walk through the stretch of veld on a daily basis to get to the nearby factories.
After the gruesome discovery, they said they were too scared.
Nwabisa Luwela, 26, said people walked through the veld to get to work.
"This is the only route available. We know this place is not safe, especially at night. People get raped and are mugged when it gets dark. After the body was found, we were all shaken.
"My mind is still reeling from what I saw. That man was killed brutally," she said.
Luwela added: "They must cut this grass because it's too long. You don't know what's lurking in there. There must find something useful to do with this piece of land."
A hawker, Lelita Tsombe, was still selling her wares a few metres away from where the body was discovered.
"I heard about it on Saturday. I am scared, but there is nothing I can do. I have to stand here all day and sell to my customers," she said in a shaky voice.
In a separate incident last month, the body of a businessman hijacked in Vereeniging was found in his car in Fochville. He also had several body parts missing.
His body was discovered by police when the car overturned while his hijackers were making their getaway.
One man managed to run away, but the other was trapped in the car. He led police to his friend and both were arrested.
This article was originally published on page 1 of The Star on May 25, 2010
Comments by Sonny
Only in SA.
Barbarians in our midst!
Or is it just a cultural affair.
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