Mhlonitshwa family members in Eden Park Extension Five are mourning the mysterious death of their healthy and energetic 23-year-old son who was found dead near a railway line in Kliprivier.
Warrant officer Conrad Erasmus of the Eden Park Investigating Department, who is in charge of enquiries concerning missing people, said the mother of the deceased reported that her son went missing and she had not seen him in days.
“The 23-year-old was reported missing on Wednesday, October 11 by his mother,” said W O Erasmus. “When I contacted her on Friday, October 13, she told me that someone had seen him in the Eastern Cape.
“I discovered later that the Eastern Cape story was not true. This was just a made-up story by family members who did not want the mother to know that her son had been found dead in Kliprivier next to a railway line. The body was found on Friday, October 13 by the Kliprivier SAPS.”
It is reported by the police that the body was next to the railway line, but was found with no sign of injury or bruises. A post-mortem was conducted on Tuesday, October 18 at Sebokeng Morgue where the body was kept. The cause of death was said to be a heart attack.
It is commonly known that whenever a family wants to report a family member as a missing person, SAPS always advise them to wait for 48 hours and then return to report. However, Erasmus said this system has now changed.
He said enquiries regarding missing persons over 18 years old are done by the local police and those pertaining to persons under 18 years old are done by the police’s Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit. The local station will also assist in the enquiry.
“The community must know that we require a statement from the family, a description and a photo of the missing person in order to open an enquiry,” said Erasmus.
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