Children find decomposing body at dump
A MAN believed to be part of an armed gang which robbed a home at Stoney Drift rubbish dump settlement in East London may have been abducted and killed by angry community members.
The body of an unidentified man was found lying face-down in a muddy pool 10 days after he allegedly became a victim of mob justice, according to Stoney Drift community figure Joshua Minter.
However, Cambridge police spokesman Captain Mluleki Mbi said: “No one is suspected at this stage and no arrests have been made.”
An inquest docket has been opened.
The gruesome discovery was made on Monday by children as young as 10 who were playing in the area. The body was in an advanced stage of decomposition, making identification difficult.
Mbi said a postmortem would establish the cause of death.
A frustrated Minter said he heard a rumour that the man was murdered and reported the matter to the police last Monday but police did little.
Minter said he went on foot to search the area where the body was allegedly dumped but called off the search after reaching an area covered with izinyoka cables.
“I saw blood traces but had to call off the search because the area had exposed live wires all over. I couldn’t risk my life by going deeper into the bushes.”
He said: “I went to report this to the Cambridge police and they promised to come and search for the body. I waited the whole day. “They never came.” Mbi said: “A search and rescue team was sent to look for the body but it wasn’t successful.”
Police would meet with Minter and take further statements, Mbi said.
● The body of a 35-year-old man was found by women hawkers who braai at the popular party spot Ebuhlanti at Eastern Beach in East London on Sunday.
East London police spokeswoman Warrant Officer Hazel Mqala said an inquest docket was opened and a postmortem would establish the cause of death.
“The man was wearing a black lamba jacket, black tracksuit pants and brown shoes.
He was said by the hawkers to be a bush dweller who appeared to be suffering from TB.