Groblersdal - Limpopo police on Saturday warned the public to beware of crocodiles in the Olifants River after the remains of a possible crocodile victim were found in the river.
Police in Rakgoadi near Groblersdal have opened an inquest docket after the grisly discovery, Lt-Col Moatshe Ngoepe said.
The victim was apparently reported missing on September 24, until fishermen fishing in the Olifants River between Mogalatsane and Elandskral found "some of his body parts".
The fishermen were using a net and when they pulled it in to the shore, they found a human head and hand. They then reported the discovery to police. "The cause of the [man's] death is unknown, but the possibility that he might [have been] eaten by the crocodiles may not be ruled out because this river is full of these reptiles," Ngoepe said.
The dead man, aged 55, had been positively identified by family members at the scene, but his remains were taken to the mortuary for an autopsy and to confirm his identity.
The local community were therefore warned to be careful when they crossed the Olifants River because of the "mushrooming of crocodiles" in the river, Ngoepe said.