Durban - Hibberdene SAPS are investigating a case of murder after a burnt body was discovered in Mthwalume on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast just after 6am on Saturday morning.
Provincial police spokesperson, Brigadier Jay Naicker said the grisly discovery was made by people who were on their way to work. The body was covered in plastic and dumped at the side of the road.
He said the body was so badly burnt that police at the scene could not determine if it was a male of female body.
"The body was burnt beyond recognition and covered in plastic. Indications are that this person was killed elsewhere, the body was burnt and then dumped on the roadside," he said.
Mthwalume has been in the spotlight in recent weeks after the bodies of five women were found in sugarcane fields near Nomakhanzana.
Two men were arrested in connection with the murders. One of the accused has since committed suicide. He is believed to have hanged himself inside a shower at a holding cell. The second man was released due to lack of evidence.
The IFP's Velenkosini Hlabisa said he was saddened by the discovery.
"The women of Mthwalume, as are the women of the rest of our country, are under siege. It pains me to know that South Africa is one of the most dangerous countries for women and children to live in. This is our country. These are our people. And they are being hurt and slaughtered.
"We have said, “Enough is enough”. We have asked “Am I next?” In my own heart, the word that echoes against gender-based violence is simply “NO”. This cannot happen. It must be stopped," he said.
Hlabisa called on government to "stop their empty rhetoric and to start doing what needs to be done".
He said there was an alarming disjuncture between what women endure and how government responded.
"Action has been wholly inadequate. How many more women and children must be killed before the government will act? The IFP extends its deepest and most sincere condolences to the bereaved family," Hlabisa said.
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