A decomposed body of an alleged sangoma was discovered on Friday morning.
Umhlali SAPS detective Goodluck Mfeka said the body was found by a farm worker in Tongaat, in KwaZulu-Natal.
Goodluck said the middle-aged woman’s body was found stripped naked and could possibly been sexually assaulted.
He said it is believed that she wasmurdered in early January.
“Police were trying to establish the identity of the woman, who was found buried on a sugar farm, wearing a sangoma necklace and boots,” he said.
“The body was severely decomposed due to the heat, leaving the traditional attire as the woman’s main identifying mark.”
“Her hands were tied behind her back and her head was wrapped in sangoma attire. We suspect that she may have been strangled to death,” he added.
Goodluck said the nature of the murder also leads police to suspect that she may have also been sexually abused but at this point, it is hard to tell.
He said DNA samples had been sent for analysis.
“A family came forward to view the body but we cannot establish the true identity of the woman without DNA samples.”
Police have urged anyone with information to come forward and contact detective Mfeka at 072 382 1583.
