TWO suspects appeared in the Palm Ridge Magistrates Court on a charge of theft of a corpse!
The men, both in their 30s, were arrested last week at
Zamokuhle Funeral Services in Thokoza, Ekurhuleni, where they worked.
This comes after the body of Mamphutlane Sethabathaba (50) went missing at the funeral home just days before her burial was scheduled to be held on Saturday 2 July.
To date, the corpse has still not been found.
Mamphutlane was in the care of Marriam Djantyi (58) when she died on 24 May. Due to the lack of funds, Mamphutlane’s body was at the mortuary for almost a month. On 30 June, after having managed to raise the funds, Marriam together with other church members went to the funeral parlour to prepare the body for burial, but it was nowhere to be found.
“We need to bury her in peace. Those people need to give us the body so Mamphutlane can have a proper burial,” said Marriam.
Mamphutlane’s brother,
Molefe (53) said: “This whole thing is very depressing. I can’t rest until I see my sister getting a proper burial.”
Constable Patrick Mashiane of Thokoza cop shop confirmed the incident.
“Two suspects in their early 30s were arrested and appeared last week in court charged with theft of a corpse. Both are out on R1 000 bail and are expected to return in court on 4 August,” said Mashiane.
