Johannesburg - Two bodies, which could be those of a missing albino teenager and a one-year-old baby, have been found in a badly decomposed state, Mpumalanga police said on Wednesday.
Police say post-mortems need to be performed before they can comment on whether the bodies belong to a 13-year-old girl with albinism and her baby nephew who were reportedly kidnapped last month.
The children were reportedly taken from their home in north-east Mpumalanga by armed men. Relatives believed the girl had been abducted because she was an albino.
A 32-year-old man has been arrested for the alleged abductions, Mpumalanga police spokesman Leonard Hlathi told dpa.
According to Hlati one of the bodies was found in a shallow grave while the other was floating in a stream.
Many people in Africa believe the body parts of those with albinism - a disorder that causes lack of skin pigmentation - to have magical powers.
In Tanzania, Malawi and elsewhere, albinos are frequently reported kidnapped and killed, with their body parts sold. However, it is unusual in South Africa.