A police forensic team has exhumed the remains of two people who reportedly went missing under mysterious circumstances in July 2004.
Samuel Zwane of Olievenhoutbosch, south of Pretoria, was last seen by his family when he was going to work in Midrand.
The family alleges that Zwane and another man he used to share accommodation with had been buried as a pauper in a single grave at a local cemetery.
According to the family, Zwane was buried without their knowledge even though the government mortuary in Hillbrow had his identity records.
Zwane and another young man were allegedly kidnapped and murdered before they were buried as paupers at the Olivenhoutboch cemetery in 2004.
Zwane’s grandson, Setjo Botipe, says the exhumation will help the families to find closure.
“From 2004 until now, we’ve not found my grandfather’s bones or what happened to him. Even the police don’t know what happened leading to his death. Most probably, we are hoping that forensics will tell us the cause of death. In the books here in the mortuary, post mortem results are not there. So, we cannot tell for sure what is the cause of death. So, that is the reason why we are here to find his bones and cause of his death.”
Attempts by the family to seek answers from Zwane’s employer after he failed to return home were allegedly met with arrogance.
Botipe says the employer advised them to go and look for him at mortuaries and hospitals.
“When we got there, the colleague who told us to go and look for him at his workplace was not there. And we couldn’t find him as well. The employer said he also didn’t know where my grandfather was and threatened to charge him with absconding. He then said we go look for him at hospitals and government mortuaries in our area and he will look in the south.”
Botipe says police were reluctant to assist even after the family reported his grandfather as missing at the Midrand Police Station.
“When my father went to make a complaint at Midrand Police station and about the inactivity of that inquiry, that nothing had happened about it, we were surprised it turned out to be a kidnapping charge, which we don’t know how they arrived at it (sic). Now, we are sitting with a docket that says my grandfather is deceased and we don’t know anything about the kidnapping.”
Meanwhile, police at the cemetery prevented the SABC News crew from recording the exhumation. The remains will be sent for DNA tests to determine the identity of the deceased persons. Gauteng police say they will comment later.
