The normally relaxed atmosphere in the dusty Ha-Khakhu village in the Nzhelele area came to an abrupt end Tuesday, 13 September, when a local dog was spotted feeding on a piece of meat which later turned out to be a human leg. Police suspect that the leg may be part of the body of a 47-year-old man who went missing over a month ago.

The owner of the dog, Mr Andries Mbulaheni, said he was surprised when he realised that the thing his dog was eating was the leg of a person. "I received the shock of my life. I couldn´t believe my eyes. I thought I was dreaming at first, but I then realised that what I was looking at was a real human leg. I had never seen such a thing before," said Mbulaheni.

Members of the community, however, suspect that the leg belonged to somebody who had been murdered for muti purposes.

Colonel Ronnie van Niekerk, the station commander for the Siloam police station, confirmed the incident. He said that the dog was found at around 17: 05. "We were called by community members after the discovery. When we arrived at the scene, a human leg was lying on the ground, with dogs next to it. I couldn´t believe my eyes, but it was a human leg," said Van Niekerk.

He added that the police’s investigation team took the leg to the mortuary at the nearby Siloam Hospital. “We have kept the leg at the mortuary, so that the forensic investigation can be conducted. DNA tests must be done to determine the relatives of the person whose leg was found,” he said.

Van Niekerk said that they suspected that the leg might be that of a man who was reported missing in the village in August this year. "We have since launched a search in the area, thinking that we may find the remainder of the body in the surrounding bushes in the village," he said. This comes after the 47-year-old Gideon Mudau was reported missing in the village on August 15 this year. When Mudau disappeared, the police tried to look for him with police dogs and a helicopter, but to no avail.

During our reporter´s visit to the village last Wednesday, the police, who were joined by members of the community, looked all over for the body, with no luck.

According to Van Niekerk, the police are positive that they will find the remaining parts.

Several ritual murder cases had been reported in the Vhembe District in the past.

Meanwhile, Van Niekerk warned the residents not to point fingers. “Our investigation is still continuing and we appeal to the community to be very cooperative in this regard. You must not point fingers,” he added.