THE body of a 38-year-old Zimbabwean Gerard Masocha was found in Broadlands Road, Strand on Sunday.
The body was lying in shallow water in a canal.
A witness said it must have been there the whole of Saturday night, in the heavy rain.
“I noticed there was something there at about 11pm, but did not know it was a human body.
“I was scared to look because it was in the middle of the night and it was raining,” the 27-year-old told Daily Sun.
The dead man’s brother, Ephraim Masocha, said he received a call from his brother but did not answer because he was busy.
He said his brother left him a message. “He said he was leaving and going back home to Zimbabwe and would not come back. I think that is why he called me. He wanted to tell me he was leaving,” said Ephraim.
He said his brother was a good man but a heavy drinker.
“He drank a lot, but he was a good man who would never hurt anyone. His death is sudden.
“He was not only my older brother but a father and a husband. He has two children and a wife,” said Ephraim.
Residents were sad to see the body.
Anelisa Mfenyana (26) said: “He lived close by. Maybe he was going back home to his house 20 metres from here.
“This is sad. We don’t know what happened to him. We hope he was not being robbed.”
Captain Frederick van Wyk said: “Lwandle police have opened an inquest docket after a body was found in Broadlands Road, Lwandle at 8am on Sunday.
“Police found the body of a 38-year-old man lying in the ditch. It had no injuries.
“The cause of death is unknown at this stage. A post mortem will be held to determine the cause of death.”
Anyone with information is asked to call Lwandle police on 021 845 2060.
