The disappearance of an 88-year-old man some two weeks ago in the Kutama area evoked a mixture of emotions from residents.

When his body was eventually found in the bush on Tuesday, rumours were rife that he had been killed for muti purposes. The police, however, believe that his death may have been a result of natural causes.

A resident of Muduluni village, Mr Wilson Sekgotho, disappeared on March 24. According to family members, he left home that morning, saying that he had to take care of his cattle grazing in a nearby field. When he did not return, they became worried and reported the matter to the police. Community members, together with members of the Tshilwavhusiku SAPS, started searching for the old man, but to no avail.

The assistance of the Thohoyandou and Makhado Dog Units were eventually called in and on Tuesday, the body of the man was found in the veldt, some five kilometres outside Muduluni.

Concerned community members who spoke to Mirror after the discovery said that something was definitely strange about the incident. They claimed that some of the deceased’s body parts had been removed. “Something wrong is happening in this area; the old man has been ritually murdered. This is the most shocking incident we have ever seen in our lives. Somebody is responsible for these cruel deeds,” one of the community members, who did not want his name to be mentioned, said.

The investigative officer from the SAPS, detective Patrick Makhavhu, however, dismissed any claims that body parts were missing. He said at this stage people were spreading unfounded rumours and it would be best to wait for the post mortem to be finalised.

The spokeswoman for the Tshilwavhusiku SAPS, Ms Khakhu Maiwashe, confirmed that the police are investigating the death of Mr Sekgotho. “At this stage, it appears as if the old man got tired. He was alone in the bush and no one was there to assist him to go back home,” she said.

Maiwashe thanked the community members who had assisted the SAPS when searching for the old man. “I urge community members to always work together with the police in order to win the war against crime. Together we can,” said Maiwashe. She also appealed to community members not to allow older people to venture into the veldt alone, as they may get tired or run into problems and there will be no-one who can take care of them.