The body of 31-year-old Refiloe Malope, who was abducted in Limpopo in May, has been recovered from an abandoned mine shaft in Benoni, Gauteng.
Malope was allegedly forcefully taken by two people who were seen shoving her into the boot of a Sedanin the Hlogotlou policing area on 9 May 2022, said Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo, the police spokesperson.
Specialised equipment was used to retrieve the body of the slain woman on Monday afternoon. Her body was recovered from a mine shaft in Benoni on Monday afternoon after the use of a specialist camera was able to spot her body on Friday afternoon.
“The operation, comprising of Gauteng search and rescue units of the South African Police Services from Benoni, Tshwane, Sedibeng, West Rand K9, Tshwane K9, Ekhuruleni and Tshwane municipality disaster teams, the Limpopo provincial organised crime unit, provincial crime scene investigation and Hlogotlou detectives, resumed with the retrieving efforts from 9am (on Monday) morning,” said Mojapelo.
“After four hours, the body was brought to the ground and that’s when it was positively identified as that of missing Malope.”
An unidentified body was also retrieved from the same mine shaft, and investigations were underway to identify the unidentified person and what the cause of death was. Two people were arrested for the alleged abduction and murder of Malope.
Sergeant Thabo Letudi Moses Mokoana, 40, who is a police officer stationed at Benoni police station and his accomplice, Modirelwa Maxwell Mokoana, 42, are expected to appear at the Nebo Magistrate’s Court on Thursday to apply for bail.
Source: News24, Briefly South Africa, IOL, Times Live, image from IOL: SAPS