Body found in Botshabelo river
Drowned in river … A police team recovers a body from a river in Botshabelo.
The residents of Section J in Botshabelo made a startling discovery Tuesday morning when learners found the body of a man floating in a stream near a school in the area.
On their way to school, the children need to cross a bridge over a stream. It was there where they spotted the body.
The residents, who gathered around the stream after the body was discovered, said it was the first time they came across such a gruesome scene. The area is notorious for gang activity but police cannot confirm whether the murder was gang-related.
“This is new because this stream is not that deep. The only incident I recall is when one guy jumped in the river trying to escape an angry crowd after he raped a young child. He did not die as some of the community members jumped in and caught him alive. Yes, this place is not safe during rainy days but as you can see we have a bridge that enables us to cross safely. This is sad that someone had to die here,” Mookgo Motheto told The Weekly.
Motheto was first to arrive on the scene after learners alerted members of the community. She said it was a scary sight. Motheto added that although she lives right next to the stream, she did not hear anything strange at night.
However, she hopes that the police will find out what happened.
When The Weekly arrived, the body was still floating face down in the river.
The police and emergency services were on the scene waiting for the police divers to arrive.
Warrant Officer Willie Swanepoel from the K9 Search and Rescue Team said the dead man seemed to be between the ages of 30 to 35 years. Swanepoel was one of the officers who recovered the body from the stream.
“He was still wearing his denim trouser, white T-shirt, and shoes. There were no visible injuries on his body,” Swanepoel said.
Captain Tseko Mokgahle said that an inquest docket has been opened.
“Usually when someone just drowned and there was no foul play we regard that as just a natural death. But if we suspect that there was a foul play then we investigating. Regarding this case we have not found anything that suggests foul play.”
Find us on facebook
