Another body has been found near a railway line in Mandeni, KwaZulu-Natal, bringing to seven the number of bodies found in the area.
On Sunday morning, 35-year-old Manqoba Shabane's lifeless body was discovered by people passing by. His head had been chopped off and his valuables stolen. A lunch box was found next to his body. Shabane was apparently on his way to work in the nearby paper mill when he was brutally killed.
Police have appealed to members of the public to be vigilant and avoid walking alone near the railway line. Police suspect the thugs faced resistance from the deceased.
"Judging from the manner that he was killed, it would appear as if the deceased died fighting for his life. We suspect that a panga might have been used to chop his head off because it had been totally removed from his body," Captain Philani Mzimela said.
He said police were investigating a case of murder and that no arrest had been made.
"There are couple of leads which we are following and we hope this murder and other killings in this area will be solved soon," he said.
Mzimela also cautioned members of the public who frequent the area passing the railway bridge to walk in groups for safety reasons.
Armed thugs chop off worker's head
Another body has been found near a railway line in Mandeni, KwaZulu-Natal, bringing to seven the number of bodies found in the area.
On Sunday morning, 35-year-old Manqoba Shabane's lifeless body was discovered by people passing by. His head had been chopped off and his valuables stolen. A lunch box was found next to his body. Shabane was apparently on his way to work in the nearby paper mill when he was brutally killed.
Police have appealed to members of the public to be vigilant and avoid walking alone near the railway line. Police suspect the thugs faced resistance from the deceased.
"Judging from the manner that he was killed, it would appear as if the deceased died fighting for his life. We suspect that a panga might have been used to chop his head off because it had been totally removed from his body," Captain Philani Mzimela said.
He said police were investigating a case of murder and that no arrest had been made.
"There are couple of leads which we are following and we hope this murder and other killings in this area will be solved soon," he said.
Mzimela also cautioned members of the public who frequent the area passing the railway bridge to walk in groups for safety reasons.
The railway crossing is the only route used by pupils to reach their respective schools and students studying at uMfolozi TVET College, Mzimela added. The murder of Shabane brings to seven the number of people who have died under mysterious circumstances in the area.
Early this month, Nokuthula Mdiniso's body was also found dumped near the railway line. Mdiniso was an engineering intern working at Isithebe Industrial Estate.
Other deaths include those of Zanele Ngwane, Lethiwe Khomo, Snenhlanhla Zulu and Lindiwe Kheswa. The deceased were killed and their bodies set alight before being dumped at the railway bridge.
ANCYL chairperson in the region Mfanafuthi Ngcobo said they had held various campaigns to put an end to the scourge. "We are also calling for a special task team to investigate these murders. Most of the deceased are young people with blossoming careers. We take this issue very seriously."