LIMPOPO police are investigating cases of violation of a grave and theft of a corpse.
This comes after the body of Philemon Masedi, who was buried in January last year aged 83, was dug out of his grave and stolen by unknown suspect(s) at Senakwe Section in Mokwakwaila outside Tzaneen.
The horrific discovery was made by a family member on Sunday, 5 February after visiting the grave site to clean it, as they were preparing to unveil the tombstone.
Police were called to the scene and were met by the unusual site of the violated grave with a hole, an open coffin with no corpse inside.
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A preliminary investigation conducted at the scene established that the suspect(s) accessed the graveyard by cutting the side fence.
They then dug a hole next to the grave, accessed the coffin and stole the corpse.
Limpopo police spokesman Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo said: “We have launched unusual investigations of violation of a grave and theft of a corpse after the body of the deceased was dug out of the grave and stolen by unknown suspect(s).”
Mojapelo said the motive for this incident was unknown at this stage.
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“Anyone with information that can assist in this investigation may contact Detective Commander Warrant Officer Nthai Modjadji on 060 996 0062 or 015 386 9940, CrimeStop on 08600 10111, or visit their nearest police station,” he said.
Provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Thembi Hadebe has expressed shock at what happened at the graveyard and has ordered that the perpetrator(s) be hunted down and brought to book.
“We call on community members in the area to respect the unfolding investigations conducted by the police and desist from pointing fingers as these often play into instigation of vigilantism in which people take the law into their own hands,” said Hadebe.
