Durban — The Mawelewele community near Chatsworth, who took it upon themselves to search for a missing woman, found human skeleton remains of an unknown person in bushes on Monday.
The community, between Klaarwater and Crossmoor, were searching for Ntombenhle Ncobela, 26, who went missing last Sunday.
The mother of three was last seen in the area in the company of a 17-year-old boy.
During the search of thick bush on a slope towards the valley, the community members began to get a rotting smell. Following it, they stumbled on scattered bones, at first assuming they were of a dead dog or other animal.
The community said on close inspection, they discovered a human head hidden under a thicket of dried out grass with a few bones still attached. They assumed it could be the remains of a man.
The community said Chatsworth police confirmed a case of a missing person had been reported but did not specify by whom.
A relative of Ncobela, Hlengiwe Cele, said while combing the area, they came across women’s shoes that looked like those of Ncobela in one area, and clothing items in another.
“We want her or her remains found so we can have closure. We suspect a 17-year-old boy might know something about Ncobela’s disappearance,” she said.
The community complained that the police did not do enough to find Ncobela and police dogs were used for only a few hours. The community also wanted closure.
A member of the local Community Policing Forum, who wished to remain anonymous, said the community of Mawelewele had requested for a satellite police station to help fight crime.
“We are facing an escalating crime rate. People get robbed or mugged by criminals even in broad daylight. We are afraid to even send our children to the shops.
“If we try to fight it, we get blamed for taking the law into our own hands,” he said.
He added that there was no co-operation between their local Chatsworth police and members of the community.
“We have long been complaining about police visibility,” which he said was lacking.
Another irate community member said: “We have small children, and we are worried they might become the next victims of these criminals.”
Chatsworth police had not responded at the time of publication.
Daily News