Pretoria – The body of a 51-year-old woman who has been missing for days in Mpumalanga has been found by police, buried deep in a pit toilet, near Emalahleni.
Provincial police spokesperson in Mpumalanga, Brigadier Selvy Mohlala said two men have been taken in for questioning in connection with her “terrible” death.
“According to the report, Ms Jemina Duba was reported as missing at Vosman police station late on Wednesday, September 7, 2022 after her family became concerned that they could not get hold of her. The next day, Thursday, the police began with their investigation and went to the place where her boyfriend resides in Clewer near Emalahleni. The members were trying to get information from people who knew her and find out if they knew her whereabouts,” said Mohlala.
“Upon arrival, they found a man referred to as her boyfriend who reportedly informed them (police) that he last saw her on August 25, 2022. Thereafter the man left. Police searched in the house without any success, but later discovered something sinister outside the house, when they checked around the yard they saw a pit toilet piled up with soil,” he said.
After engaging with the landlord of the premises, police at the scene summoned their counterparts to help them with the search and the place was cordoned and treated like a crime scene.
“On Friday, September 9, 2022, some experts in various units within the search and rescue team of the police converged to continue searching for the woman. They then managed to retrieve and exhumed the woman's body from the pit toilet.
“Preliminary investigation had uncovered that the deceased had a wound on the upper body and some bruises. As a result of this developments, police registered a murder case hence the two men were taken in for questioning,” said Mohlala.
Meanwhile, provincial commissioner of police in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela has “strongly” condemned the “shocking” incident.
"The senseless killing of women is very much concerning and we trust that the team of investigators in this case will ensure that the perpetrator(s) are swiftly brought to book and that justice is served for the victim as well as her family,” said Manamela.
Earlier this year, a Mpumalanga man who brutally murdered the mother of his child and dumped her body in bushes was sentenced to 35 years behind bars.
The woman, aged 32, was killed at Marite near Bushbuckridge in 2020.
The accused was convicted and sentenced by the Mpumalanga Division of the High Court sitting at Graskop in March.
At the time, Mohlala said the court heard that the man robbed the victim of her personal belongings and killed her, then concealed her body in bushes on September 3, 2020, around 8pm.
“The accused then went into hiding and never informed anyone of his deeds. Meanwhile, the family of the woman was worried sick that she never returned home. They reported her as a missing person at Calcutta Police Station on September 4, 2020.
“Police began trying to find her. Sadly, in the early hours of the morning, a day after she was reported missing, her lifeless body was discovered in the bushes by a passer-by.
“Police at Calcutta were alerted, and upon arrival, they uncovered that she had deep stab wounds on her throat,” Mohlala said.
IOL