Team of detectives investigates the discovery of 14 bodies

Six bodies were found on Sunday (March 5) and eight on Monday (March 6) near Golden Drive and New Modder Road, on the East Rand, Benoni City Times reports.

Gauteng police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Lungelo Dlamini said: “It appears that the victims were either killed with panga-like weapons or shot.”

“The motive for the killings at this stage is unknown, but we suspect that they were killed by rival gangs. We have launched a manhunt for the suspects, and the police have also appointed a team of detectives to investigate these killings,” said Dlamini.

READ MORE: Six bodies found near railway line in Benoni

Dlamini added the victims whose bodies were found on Sunday could have been killed somewhere else and were dumped there.

The bodies have not yet been identified.

According to TimesLive: “At the centre of the war are an estimated 30 000 illegal miners who, say the UN’s inter-regional crime and justice research institute and the Mineral Resources Department, are used by syndicates to steal about R7 billion worth of gold a year from South Africa. The UN institute’s 2016 report says in 2011 the world’s illicit gold trade based in South Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo and Peru accounted for US$2.3-billion.”

Police are appealing to anyone who might have information to contact the nearest police station or Crime Stop at 08600 10111 at all hours.

– Caxton News Service

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