Three men who went fishing at a local river got more than they bargained for when, in addition of the fish they have caught, discovered a partly decomposed body of a woman.

The men had already caught two big barbels and were excited that it was their lucky day, but that was not to be, as their happy fishing expedition ended on a sad note after the discovery.

The grisly discovery was made at Lukunde River, not far from Thohoyandou Stadium on Friday afternoon.

The area is surrounded by dense bushes and is known for big pythons. It surprised everyone that a woman could end up there on her own. This has raised the suspicions that the woman might have been killed somewhere and dumped at the river to conceal the evidence.

Police had to battle to keep the big crowd that had gathered at the scene and were disturbing the scene to have a glimpse of the body.

After a long wait for forensic personnel, the body was finally retrieved by police and members of the public

Heavy rain showers poured down when the body was being taken to a forensic pathology van that has been parked at the road. This did not deter the onlookers who wanted to see the dead person.

Patrick Mudau, one of the men who found the body, said they decided to go downstream and that was when they had the shock of their lives.

“We were just taking our positions, when I noticed this strange object that looked like a plastic doll. Upon closer examination, look found that there were flies indicating that the object must be in a state of decomposition,” he said. “We got the shock of our lives. This was a real person and must have been in the water for some time,” he said.

“In my many years as a fisherman, I have never come across something like this. I have seen people being taken out of the water after drowning, but this case is a different one all together. It is very shocking and would take a long time for me to forget,” he said.

Limpopo police spokesperson in Vhembe, Captain Mashudu Malelo confirmed that a body was found at the river.