A Malvern resident who had been visiting the uMhlatuzana River to conduct a prayer ritual on Friday morning discovered the body of a man who was reported missing by his family on Thursday morning.
According to police, the deceased was reported missing after leaving his home after midnight on Wednesday. It is alleged that he told his daughter to go back to sleep as he was checking why the alarm had been triggered. He never returned and that was the last time he was seen by his family. The communications officer for Bayview SAPS, Warrant Officer Collin Chetty, said police are investigating an inquest case.
The distraught family members including the wife and daughter of the man, believed to be a manager of a store at a mall in Chatsworth, had identified his body at the scene after they had been notified by police of the discovery of the body, which matched the description of the man. Police confirmed that the man had no visible injuries, however, a post-mortem will be conducted to determine the cause of the man’s death. The discovery of the body has left the community shaken.
On Thursday, the deceased man’s friends and those living in the neighbourhood had gathered at the area and were in disbelief as to the circumstances surrounding his death. They described the deceased as an intelligent and caring person. Speaking anonymously, one of the bystanders, who said he knew the deceased for a few years and met him after he moved into uMhlatuzana, said: “We don’t know what could have led to something like this happening and we hope the post-mortem will reveal some answers as to how he had passed on. Our condolences go out to his family as we know that they shared a close bond and his death will leave a void in their lives.
