Pretoria - The South African Police Service is probing a murder incident after the discovery of seven bodies dumped on the Puttfontein offramp next to the N12 highway in Benoni.
"The bodies were discovered late last night [Thursday] with bullet wounds and one body had burnt wounds. At this stage, it is not clear what happened. Police are still in the process of identifying the bodies which are all males," said Gauteng SAPS spokesperson Colonel Noxolo Kweza.
"It is suspected that the males might have been killed underground and might be part of the on-going illegal mining activities."
She said police were alerted to the gruesome scene by a passer-by who had discovered the bodies.
"Police are appealing to communities to assist identify the bodies estimated to be aged between 30 and 40-years-old. Possibilities of further additional charges cannot be ruled out at this stage," she said.