Partially burnt body found next to graveyard

A case of murder was opened after the discovery of an assaulted and partially burnt body of an unknown man in the bushes next to a graveyard in Limpopo on Saturday morning.

“The police received a complaint from the community about the body of an unknown man in the bushes. Upon arrival and closer inspection, the body of an unknown male person was found with multiple injuries and partially burnt,” said police spokesperson Brigadier Hlulani Mashaba.

Identikit

The deceased had dreadlocks and was wearing a gold ring on his left hand, black trousers and a white golf T-shirt. Police also found burnt firewood next to the body. The deceased is estimated to be between the ages of 30 and 37 years old.

The motive for the incident is not yet known.

Any person with information that may lead to arrest and conviction of suspect(s) can contact Maake Detective Sergeant Rhulani Mathe at 0823199742 or Crime Stop number 08600 10111 or the nearest Police Station or use MySAPSapp.

READ ALSO: Murder rate drop not ‘statistically significant’

Meanwhile, a study by researchers at the South African Medical Research Council (MRC) recommends that the murder of men in South Africa deserves an urgent national response.

Richard Matzopoulos of the MRC’s Burden of Disease Unit and his team, which included scientists from the UCT School of Public Health, studied postmortem reports from 2017 to compare murders of women and men. Among the factors looked at were cause of death, age, geographic location and whether alcohol played a role.

87% of people murdered in 2017 were men

The study, published in PLOS Global Public Health, found that 87% of people murdered in 2017 were men. The authors note similar percentages in 2009 (86%) and 2000 (84%). 

READ ALSO: Crime stats: 6,911 people survived murder attempts between July and September

According to the researchers, this is the first study on male murders in South Africa. Previous studies have focused mainly on femicide (the killing of women). The study focused on 2017 to coincide with the third national femicide study (previous femicide studies were in 2000 and 2009).

Additional reporting GroundUp.