A 29-year-old man was arrested after he was allegedly found sleeping with bones which he had exhumed from two graves in Masoyi, Mpumalanga.
Brigadier Donald Mdhluli said the remains had been unearthed in a cemetery in Swalala.
The suspect was arrested on Monday, April 28, 2025, after police acted on a report.
“Upon arrival at the cemetery, it was confirmed that the graves had indeed been disturbed as reported. Swift action was taken to locate the suspect, who was cornered in his residence at the RDP houses in Swalala,”said Mdhluli.
Police entered his home and found him asleep, with the bones believed to belong to his relatives positioned beside him in bed.
“These graves were identified as those of the suspect’s father and grandfather, who were laid to rest in the year 2010.”
Mdhuli said the suspect was immediately taken into custody and was charged with violation of the graves.
Following the arrest, the bones were confiscated and are now part of an extensive investigation being conducted by South African Police Service, with authorities vowing to get to the bottom of the disturbing case.
Meanwhile, the suspect is expected to appear in the Masoyi Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, April 30, 2025.
In another separate incident, the bodies of three police officers who went missing last week were among the five bodies recovered from the Hennops River on Tuesday.
Speaking during a media briefing at the river, the National Commissioner of police General Fannie Masemola, said the bodies of Constable Keamogetswe Buys, Constable Boipelo Senoge, and Constable Cebekhulu Linda had been identified by their families at the Tshwane mortuary.
“It has been a difficult six days for members of the South African Police Service and affected families, as we searched everywhere for our three missing police officers,” Masemola said.
The trio was last seen in the early hours of Thursday at a petrol station near the Grasmere Toll Plaza on the N1 in Gauteng.
Their vehicle, a Volkswagen Polo hatchback with registration number JCL 401 FS, along with their cellphones and tracking device, were switched off after they left the station.
Masemola said a high-level team of investigators had worked tirelessly across Gauteng, the Free State, and Limpopo following all possible leads.
Their search eventually led to an area along the N1 highway, stretching from the Grasmere Toll Plaza past the Buccleuch interchange and onto John Vorster Drive in Centurion.
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