Man found sleeping next to bones believed to be from graves of his father and grandfather

Mpumalanga police have arrested a man who is suspected of digging the graves of his father and grandfather on Tuesday.

According to police spokesperson Brigadier Donald Mdhluli, the 29-year-old man allegedly dug the graves of his father and grandfather at a cemetery in Swalala in Masoyi near White River.

According to the information provided to police, at around 1:30pm on Tuesday, a woman reported that a man had dug up two adjacent graves located in the cemetery under the jurisdiction of the Masoyi Policing Precinct.

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They were identified as those of the suspect’s father and grandfather, buried in 2010.

“Members from the Visible Policing Unit at Masoyi promptly attended to the complaint. Upon arrival at the cemetery, they confirmed that the graves had indeed been disturbed as reported,” said Mdhluli.

“Swift action was taken to locate the suspect, who was cornered in his residence at the RDP houses in Swalala. In a shocking turn of events, the suspect was found asleep in his bed with the bones believed to be from the graves positioned next to him.”

Police immediately arrested the suspect and charged him with violating the graves.

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The bones were confiscated and are now part of the ongoing investigation conducted by the South African Police Service (Saps).

The suspect is expected to appear at the Masoyi Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.

The investigation remains ongoing.

Grave dug in Limpopo

In a separate incident in Limpopo, police at Mokwakwaila in the Mopani District launched an investigation into a violation of a grave and theft of a corpse in February.

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According to Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo, the body of the deceased was dug out of the grave and stolen by unknown suspect(s) at Senakwe Section in Mokwakwaila policing area.

One of the family members reportedly went to the cemetery to clean the gravesite in preparation for the unveiling of the tombstone, when she discovered that it had been dug open and the corpse stolen.

The police, upon arriving at the scene, discovered an open coffin with no corpse inside.

A preliminary probe at the scene established that the suspect(s) accessed the graveyard by cutting the side fence. They then dug a hole next to the grave to gain access to the coffin and stole the corpse.

Cases of grave violations and theft were opened.

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