The decomposed body of a man was found in the Skinnerspruit, a tributary of the Apies River, on Tuesday, bringing to three the number of bodies that had been found in the area since the weekend.
This follows the discovery of the bodies of two teenagers, a male and female, on the bank of the Apies River on Sunday. The bodies of the two were found bound.
Grass-cutters who were working near the Tshwane Leadership and Management Academy on Tuesday spotted the body floating downstream and alerted police.
The man, who was naked, was removed from the water by a team of divers from the SAPS diving unit.
Police spokesman Captain Bongi Msimango said it was not clear how long the man had been in the water.
“We do not know what race he is, how old he is or where he came from,” Msimango said.
He expressed concern that it was the third body to have been found in the area. Intensive investigations would be carried out.
“At this stage we cannot confirm if this is the work of a serial killer or not. We don’t even know if the two cases are linked,” he said.
He said an inquest docket had been opened.
The bodies of the teenagers were found in the dense bush on the bank of the Apies River, behind the Fresh Produce Market, with multiple stab wounds to their upper bodies.
Police spokeswoman Constable Nare Setati said the bodies were bound, and while the female was naked, the male was dressed in blue overalls.
She said the body of the male was found in the river and the body of the female was found on the river bank.
Setati said on Tuesday that the bodies had not been identified and the cause of death had not been established.
“We suspect that they were between 15 to 16 years of age and died of multiple stab wounds, but the post-mortem will have to confirm that,” she said.
Setati said police suspected that more than one person was involved in the murder and the murders took place elsewhere.
“We are still busy with investigations and no suspects have been arrested yet,” she said.
The body found on Tuesday was the fourth body to have been found in the area in the past 18 months.
Bodies found in the Apies River
*March 2012 – Two teenagers, male and female, with multiple stab wounds to their upper bodies, were found on Sunday. The body of an unidentified man was found yesterday.
*March 2011 – The body of a newborn baby was found floating in the river.
*May 2010 – The body of a newborn baby was found in a plastic bag in the river.
*February 2008 – The body of a 30-year-old woman was found on the bank of the river.
*April 2003 – The bodies of a man and a woman with multiple stab wounds to the upper body and face were found in the river.
*October 2000 – Four bodies recovered from the river after heavy flooding.
Pretoria News