Some human remains, suspected to be that of a 17-year-old girl who had been missing since 2018, were discovered in a demolished pit toilet at Ntepane Primary School in Ga-Riba, Burgersfort.
The discovery was made by the Limpopo SAPS on Thursday, August 22. The pupils were not in their classes during the discovery.
The remains have not yet been identified and forensic investigations will determine the identity and cause of death.
The Tubatse police arrested a 45-year-old suspect who owns a tavern in the village.
The suspect’s house and tavern were set alight and the alcohol looted on August 18. This was after the community accused him of being involved in the disappearance of the teenage girl.
This publication understands that the community mobilised after a well-known prophet in the Sekhukhune area prophesied that there were human remains hidden at the primary school.
The Limpopo SAPS’s spokesperson, Brigadier Hlulani Mashaba, said they were tipped-off and dispatched a team of police experts to conduct an investigation on the school’s premises on Wednesday night, August 21, leading to the gruesome discovery of the remains.
The Limpopo police commissioner, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, has welcomed the arrest and urged the community to remain calm and allow the police to do their work. “I call upon all sectors of society to remain calm and give the police space to unearth the motive behind this gruesome act. We will monitor the case very closely to ensure that the law takes its rightful course.”
The suspect is scheduled to appear in the Praktiseer Magistrate’s Court on Monday, August 26, facing a murder charge.
Police investigations are ongoing.
