Human remains found in bush outside city

An employee at businesses on one of the Roodepoort smallholdings adjacent to Silicon cemetery got the shock of his life when he discovered human remains wrapped in a blanket in the bush on Monday evening.
The deceased is believed to have been a woman as a handbag and female undergarments were reportedly found next to the already decomposed body. When Polokwane Observer visited the area the following day, the remains were still at the scene and Police investigations were underway.
A business owner in the area, Jarid van der Merwe highlighted that his employee who made the discovery phoned him around 18:00 on Monday to inform him of the gruesome findings. He said his employee was harvesting wild growing prickly pears when he noticed a handbag next to the tree. When he went to investigate, he discovered the remains, according to Van der Merwe.
The area is not safe at all and employers are now forced to transport their employees to a safe place where they can catch transport to the city or their respective homes, he explained. He further said that two rape cases were investigated in the same area in previous years. Last year, according to Van der Merwe, it was reported that two women had been attacked by a person who allegedly threatened the victims with a knife. He reiterated that the area was not safe because there is minimal movement and criminals use this to their advantage.
“Seemingly the body has been dumped there for about a year because there is nothing left on the bones. The remains were found at least 200 m away from the main road. I plead with the Police to patrol the area more often, especially in the morning and during knock-off times to protect those walking to and from the plots,” Van der Merwe explained.
At the time of going to print, comment from Provincial Police Communications Head Motlafela Mojapelo was still being awaited.

Story: ENDY SENYATSI
>>endy@observer.co.za