Brakpan police rushed off to the Mkhancwa Village informal settlement in Maryvlei on Saturday morning after reports of a shooting.
Upon arrival at around 09:30, community members took officers to a section of a railway line near the N17 highway where cable thieves excavated trenches.
Inside one of the trenches, community members pointed out the body of a man in his 40s. According to police reports, the man was dressed in black and was found in a pool of blood.
An electrical cable and a saw were found near the body. Paramedics were summoned and the man was declared dead.
Police were later approached by a woman on the scene who claimed the deceased was her boyfriend and he was identified.
The body was taken to the Springs Forensic Pathology Services (mortuary) and a case of murder was opened.
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