Three-year-old girl rescued after spending days with dad’s body, mom found buried in yard
THE POLICE at Nebo in Limpopo’s Sekhukhune District are investigating a case of murder and have opened an inquest after a 38-year-old man and a 34-year-old woman were found dead at home in Ga-Marishane Dihlaganeng this week.
The bodies of the husband and wife were found on Wednesday and Thursday respectively, according to Limpopo police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba.
“Police received information from neighbours about a house with an unpleasant smell. Upon arrival at the said house, the doors were locked and the police knocked with no answer,” Ledwaba said.
“They (police) forced entry and found a man hanging from the roof with a rope, in an advanced state of decomposition.”
Ledwaba said that the police also found a three-year-old girl, the daughter of the deceased man, inside the house.
“She immediately rushed to the police after the door opened and she was taken to the nearest hospital for medical attention,” said Ledwaba.
A suicide note was apparently also found in the house.
The Search and Rescue and K9 units were summoned to help with the search for the deceased man’s wife (the child’s mother).
“During the search, on Thursday evening, the police noticed a shallow grave close to the house that was covered with firewood,” Ledwaba said.
“They dug ... and discovered the body of a woman wrapped in blankets. It was in an advanced state of decomposition,” said Ledwaba.
The police said a post-mortem would be conducted to determine the cause of the couple’s deaths.
The deceased parents have been identified by the police as Johannes Mahlaba, 38, and Magabjane Cecilia Maila, 34.
The provincial commissioner of the SAPS in Limpopo, Lieutenant-General Thembi Hadebe, condemned the incident, calling upon couples having domestic problems to seek help from relevant professionals “to avoid unnecessary loss of life”.
Police investigations into the incidents are still continuing.