Mpumalanga | Pathologists investigating human remains found inside a crocodile

Added: 2026-05-09

[00:00:00]To the snow, please note that the following story may offend sensitive viewers including children. Human remains have been found inside a crocodile in Mpumalanga and police suspect that body parts may belong to a missing 59-year-old businessman. And for more on this, we are now joined by SABC News reporter Ntlhamulo Luvhimba and she joins us now live from the scene. And of course, Ntlhamulo, when it comes to this story, you have been following up on the story for much of the day. What is the latest and what do we know so far when it comes to those remains which were found inside the crocodile?

[00:00:43]Thank you, Mbali, and thank you to our viewers at home. Yes, we have been here as you are aware ever since the morning.

[00:00:49]Even though today marked the fifth day of searching for the missing man and who it is believed that they might have an idea of um Let me actually, you know what, Mbali?

[00:01:13]When it comes to the crocodile which was found earlier on today and this follows the search for the 59-year-old businessman and it's understood that looking at the statement there from the police being released by Mpumalanga police and of course, I think we are battling with that connection when it comes to Ntlhamulo Muvhimba and that's the reporter of the SABC. And Ntlhamulo, we've been having you on the line and we can hear what you're saying. So maybe if you want to take us through, I understand that you are on standby with the SAPS and I understand that you are standing by with a Colonel Mavela Masondo. Maybe if you can just speak to him then and just let us know in terms of what is the latest coming out from the police.

[00:02:04]Good evening, Mbali, and good morning good evening to our viewers at home.

[00:02:08]Just for correction, we are with the Captain Johan Botha. This is the captain that we've been with or rather that he's heading the divers unit in the province who has been leading the search from Tuesday up until to this day which marks the fifth day. Just to hear more on what they have recovered and also just to confirm what you said in your intro, Mbali, we will welcome Captain Botha who has been heading this search mission ever since Tuesday. Good evening, Captain, and thank you for your time.

[00:02:36]Good evening. Please take us through in the morning when we spoke to you. The last time we spoke to you, you we we we had a number of interviews where we also saw the search. Today marked marked the fifth day of the search.

[00:02:50]Take us through to what happened then to where we are right now because from at the back where we are right now, we can see that there's a a bag there that seems to have human but take us through to what happened from the search to where we are now.

[00:03:06]Thank you. Yes, this morning the helicopter from EMS came to assist us and they spotted the crocodiles at the same place now for the past 4 days.

[00:03:16]Then after they left, we continued with the drones and we found the crocodile still at the same place.

[00:03:22]So with our experience and with the training we've had, we identified a crocodile there that we we basically were 100% sure that had eaten the man that we are looking for. And then we started to put in arrangements to use the ties it which we managed to do. Then I had to go on to the helicopter. Sand Parks came through their helicopter to assist us.

[00:03:47]They airlifted me and I had to go into the river with the crocodile to get the sling around it. They managed to sling it. We managed to bring it up. We then did a postmortem on the crocodile in which we then recovered the human remains. That's that's we put in the bag there which we as the police like I say, I'm quite certain it is the man that we're looking for but logically we will wait for the DNA results to make a positive identification. When we did do the postmortem on the crocodile, we found about six sets of different crocs and the slip slops shoes that the people were wearing.

[00:04:23]So that was also inside the stomach of the crocodile. So I can't say why those were there or why they ate them but it shows that these crocodiles are very active in this area and they basically eat anything that comes past there.

[00:04:37]Do you suspect Now, when you find shoes, do you suspect I I I figure please explain to us so that we are able to understand with what you just said right now. When you found you found shoes.

[00:04:47]These are flip flops different sizes I I I I I I guess but what does does do crocodiles eat shoes or usually when this kind of things happen in your experience, does it mean it might have been on other people? No, I I believe those shoes were on somebody's feet. But remember as the food digests, the shoes don't.

[00:05:09]So I I can't say when they ate some other people but the shoes was just plastic so that that won't digest in the stomach. So it's quite possible that those shoes were on somebody's feet when they ate them.

[00:05:22]With regards to the family, we've been with them from Tuesday even today the whole day they were with us when we were continuing with the search.

[00:05:30]How are they taking the news? Are they aware and how are they taking the news?

[00:05:34]Yes, like you said, they've been here all the way non-stop. They've been supporting us as well which we really appreciate. They're taking it hard. It's a loved one that that has died but I I believe that this should bring them some closure. To continue searching for a person that you never find, you know, your mind will never let go. You will always always have that small little hope that that person is still alive somewhere that he might be at another place. So this this will bring closure because now we know for sure that when they do the test and they do confirm him it's him, then we know that he has been found. Thank you very much for your information, uh Captain. I just will ask our colleague to just show the viewers at home the body bag that we are currently seeing right now. This is where we believe This is where the remains are believed to be of the missing man I kept waiting for the pathologist to come and pick it up. As the Captain did say that they will be continuing with this as even though that they are sure that it is him, there's processes or rather procedures that still need to be done in terms of DNA testing to make sure that it is him and every remains that they found there does match that one of the missing man, Mbali.

[00:06:50]All right, Ntlhamulo, thank you so much for that update. That's SABC News reporter there Ntlhamulo Muvhimba of course following up on that very tragic story coming out from Mpumalanga. And here and you heard there from Captain Botha saying that he is certain that it is indeed the 59-year-old businessman who went missing but at the same time we spoke to a Colonel Mavela Masondo saying that they still need to undergo DNA testing before that they can confirm it is indeed the man that indeed went missing over the past 5 days and that they have been on a search on.