Three Zimbabwean Men Found Dead In South Africa’s Nkomazi River

South African police have recovered the bodies of three men, believed to be Zimbabwean nationals, from the Nkomazi River in Mpumalanga.

Provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Donald Mdhluli said SAPS divers retrieved the bodies on Friday at a game reserve in Elukwatini.

According to police, the bodies showed no visible injuries. Said Mdhluli:

“According to a (police) report, on the said Friday, concerned people residing with the three men reported them as missing at Elukwatini SAPS.

“The complainants indicated that the three had informed them that they were heading to the game reserve, but strangely, they never returned.”

Investigating officers accompanied the complainants to the game reserve, where officials revealed that certain individuals often gain entry into the premises without authorisation. Said Mdhluli:

“Further information indicated that, about a week ago, there were some people who were noticed at the game reserve, but (the trespassers) fled upon noticing the authorities and were never seen again.”

The officers continued their investigations around the premises and discovered three bodies floating in the Nkomazi River. Said Mdluli:

“The SAPS team from search and rescue, as well as divers, were summoned to the scene. The three bodies were retrieved from the river, hence an inquest case is being probed in order to establish the cause of death.”

Police said a post-mortem will be conducted, and the identities of the three men will be released once their next of kin have been informed.

Mdhluli further said that preliminary investigations indicate the men were originally from Zimbabwe.

He added that Acting Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Major General (Dr) Zeph Mkhwanazi, has ordered a thorough investigation into the incident to establish the circumstances that led to the deaths of the three men.