Police in Musina have arrested four Zimbabwean men for allegedly brutally murdering a fellow countryman before mutilating his body. The incident has shocked the border town.

The suspects are reportedly linked to a well-orchestrated syndicate involving Somalis who allegedly smuggle body parts to East Africa.

The four suspects, Innocent Muvembi (26), Johannes Chikukuta (31), Ngonidzashe Mafumo (22) and Blessing Hove (17), appeared in the Musina Magistrate´s court on Monday, facing a murder charge. Their case was postponed to 22 March. They will remain in custody.

The court heard that on March 11, the body of Mr Munyaradzi Mthetwa, a Zimbabwean, was found hanging from a tree in the bush near Matombo Lodge, a few kilometres outside Musina. His body was discovered by a passerby who reported the matter to the police.

Mthetwa’s clothes were soaked in blood. It was later found that he had been stabbed in the chest with a knife, while his eyes and private parts had been cut out. The suspects, however, wanted it to look like a suicide, thus hanging the body from a tree.

It is suspected that Mthetwa, who was last seen on March 8, was kidnapped by the accused persons.

Limpopo provincial spokesperson Lt Col Ronel Otto said this week that the police were continuing with investigations.