A 32-year-old man from the Free State has been arrested after the body of his 88-year-old grandmother was discovered in a shallow grave in Malekunutu Village.
The arrest was made after community members became concerned when they hadn't seen the elderly woman for several days and reported her missing to the police.
In response to the report, the police, along with community members and the Anti-Stock Theft unit, initiated a search for the missing woman.
The grandson, upon realising that the community and police were searching for his grandmother, attempted to flee. However, the officers managed to apprehend him.
During questioning, the grandson admitted to burying his grandmother's body in the yard.
He claimed that she had passed away due to illness, and because he had no money for a proper burial, he decided to bury her without informing other family members or the police.
It was also alleged that he had collected his grandmother's pension money.
The 32-year-old man has been arrested on charges of defeating the ends of justice and violating a corpse.
The Bloemfontein K9 Unit, Bloemfontein Local Criminal Record Centre, and Tseseng police successfully exhumed the body with the assistance of the community.
A post-mortem examination will be conducted to determine the cause of the grandmother's death.
robin.francke@inl.co.za
IOL