Johannesburg - The wife of a Danish gunstore owner, who allegedly stored 21 pieces of female genitals in his home freezer, has fled the country, leaving behind the couple’s two young children.
It was believed the woman, whose private parts were among the 21 pieces found in a Bloemfontein home, was in Lesotho.
The children, aged 2 and 4, have been placed in the care of social workers.
It is believed that it was their mother who blew the whistle on her husband’s shady dealings.
The Saturday Star understands that the children and their mother were present at the time of their father’s arrest.
Police have also indicated they are likely to make more arrests in the female genital mutilation case that has shocked the Free State community of Langenhoven Park and has been widely reported in the international media.
Hawks spokesman Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said investigators still hadn’t located any of the victims. However they think that many were from Lesotho.
The man allegedly lured his victims to his home and sedated them before operating on them.
“We are in constant contact with the Lesotho police. We view this as a serious crime,” Mulaudzi said.
He added police were aware the issue was embarrassing for the victims and this meant that they would face challenges in tracking them down.
“We however encourage them to come forward as this will assist us with our investigations.”
Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet interviewed the man at his shop and he denied the fridge was his, saying it belonged to his wife. The newspaper also reported the man was wanted in Denmark for illegally dealing in firearms.
Responding to the man’s interview with the Danish newspaper, Mulaudzi said: “We won’t be entertaining any of that now.
“The fact remains that it is his house and the equipment found belonged to him.”
Asked if any of the victims were from South Africa, Mulaudzi said this was a possibility.
“The packets found in the fridge were dated. Some of them were dated as far back as 2012. This means he could have been doing this for a long time.
“We can’t even look at the possibility of adding murder charges yet as we don’t know if the women are still alive or not,” he said.
Residents of Langenhoven Park expressed their disgust and shock over the grisly find.
Dennis Coleman, of Handi in DIY hardware store, said people were upset.
“They think what happened is unacceptable. They talked about it after seeing newspapers. … What can we do about it? Worst is that people get killed for nothing on a daily basis,” he said.
Christo Jacobs, of Kiki Corner Photography, said: “I don’t know what is going on in Bloemfontein because last week a man from a gang targeting schools was killed…
“As a result, schools in Heidedal had to close down. The police are certainly being kept on their toes,” he said.
AfriForum provincial co-ordinator Johann Hattingh described the discovery of the pieces of genitalia as appalling.
“We, as the community, are dismayed at what has taken place. We are willing to talk to work with the police to help end such crimes and protect women in our communities,” he said.
The man is due to appear in court on Monday to apply for bail.
Saturday Star