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The Citizen reports that the badly mutilated bodies of six suspected illegal miners (zama zamas) were found scattered near the N1 freeway Maraisburg offramp, in the west of Johannesburg, on Wednesday morning.
A passerby found the first body lying on one side of the offramp and alerted the community patrol. The SA Police Service (SAPS) was called to the scene, where, after searching the area, they found a further five bodies. The sixth body was found in a wetland in the veld near Main Reef Road. A final body count will be announced once police officers – with the help of helicopters – finish their patrols around the crime scene. “Some of them had their eyes gouged out, some had their hands chopped off, one face was beaten in with a rock — it was terrible,” Basil Peters of the Bosmont Community Patrollers reported. SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Brenda Muridili said the bodies of the suspected zama zamas were found with gunshot wounds, but “we do not know what the motive is.” According to the community, there has been an influx in the area of zama zamas, who allegedly travel through an underground tunnel. Bosmont CPF officer Faried Domingo said zama zamas have been a problem in the area for more than a year. “The main problem over the past five to six weeks is the situation has spread and it has become more intense. We have gunshots ringing through the night,” said Domingo. He added there was little police visibility in the area. Investigations will determine if the six bodies found in Maraisburg belong to foreign nationals.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Kgomotso Phooko at The Citizen
- Read too, Six 'zama zamas' shot, bludgeoned and mutilated, at TimesLive
- En ook, Liggame langs N1 gevind, by Maroela Media
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page