Kosovo shack dwellers in Samora Machel were traumatised after they discovered the body of an unknown man in sewage in Laduma Street on Monday 13 February.
The B Section residents said it was the first time such an incident had occurred in the area. Community leader Thembinkosi Tokota lambasted the perpetrators, saying they were heartless.
“I saw a picture of this unknown guy posted by one of the community leaders in our WhatsApp community group this morning,” he said.
“I was shocked. His legs were visible; his upper body was in the sewage.”
He said it’s believed the body was dumped there.
“What we noticed after the body was taken out of the sewage by police was that the mouth was closed. There is no way you can close your mouth and eyes while you are drowning.
“He was supposed to open his mouth and eyes as he was trying to scream.”
Tokota added that it is believed the deceased may have been drunk and fell into the sewage as he was staggering and stumbling along.
Tokota also slammed the City for its failure to fix the drainage system in the area permanently.
He said sewage overflow is a long-standing matter.
“There is a problem with the main pump of the area. We’ve been appealing to the City to change it, but nothing is happening. The City’s employees fix it today, tomorrow the drain is leaking again. It’s terrible. We can’t breathe. The stink from the dirty water is unbearable,” added that people cannot sleep at night because of mosquitoes.
Provincial police spokesperson W/O Joseph Swartbooi said Samora Machel police attended a complaint on Monday 13 February, and on their arrival in the Kosovo informal settlement they found the body of an unknown man discovered earlier in a pool of water.
He said the victim was declared deceased on the scene by medical personnel.
“A post-mortem will be conducted to determine the cause of death,” Swartbooi said
Anyone with information that can assist with the identification of the victim, or who has any information about the incident, is kindly requested to contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111.