Community helps identify missing man found in Mvoti River

The body of a 60-year-old man, who had been reported missing for about a week, was recovered from the Mvoti River in KwaZulu-Natal on Monday.

However, due to the state of the body’s decomposition, authorities said the exact cause of death could not immediately be established.

The man’s body was discovered after local community members spotted it on a small island in the middle of the Mvoti River.

According to IPSS Search and Rescue (IPSS S&R), the Umhlali Saps’ Search and Rescue team and Glendale Saps, along with IPSS S&R, responded to the reports of a body that had been spotted in the river.

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“Members utilised an inflatable raft and rope system to access the deceased,” IPSS S&R said.

Man missing for a week

The community member then confirmed that the body was that of a 60-year-old who had been reported missing for about a week.

IPSS S&R confirmed that the body was handed over to the Glendale Saps, where a case of inquest will be investigated.

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“Our sincere condolences to the friends and family of the deceased,” IPSS S&R said.

Three bodies recovered in Mvoti River during January

Ten days before this recent discovery of a man’s body, another body of a man was recovered on 19 January after two men were swept away by the Mvoti River in Kwadukuza during a cleansing ceremony on 17 January.

“The body of one of the men has been recovered by KDM Lifeguards after an area was pointed out by a traditional healer on scene,” IPSS S&R said.

The body of the second man was recovered the following day, on 20 January.

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The recovery of the two men, aged 23 and 27, happened after two days of searching amid severe thunderstorms in the province.