Body of abducted Limpopo woman and another unidentified body recovered from mineshaft in Benoni

27 June 2022 - 20:42 By TimesLIVE
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The body of Refiloe Malope, 31, was retrieved at a mine shaft in Benoni on Monday afternoon.
The body of Refiloe Malope, 31, was retrieved at a mine shaft in Benoni on Monday afternoon.
Image: Supplied

The body of Refiloe Malope was retrieved from a mine shaft in Benoni on Monday afternoon.

Malope, 31, was allegedly taken by force by two suspects seen shoving her into the boot of a sedan at Kgaphamadi village in Limpopo on May 9.

Two suspects, Sgt Thabo Letudi Moses Mokoana, 40, stationed at Benoni police station, and Modirelwa Maxwell Mokoana, 42, were arrested for her murder last week.

Limpopo police commissioner Lt-Gen Thembi Hadebe thanked all those who were involved in the retrieval of Malope's body.

The operation, comprising of the Gauteng search and rescue units of the police from Benoni, Tshwane, Sedibeng, West Rand K9, Tshwane K9, Ekurhuleni and Tshwane municipality disaster teams and the Limpopo provincial organised crime unit resumed their retrieval efforts at 9am on Monday.

After four hours, the body was brought to the surface.

Another unidentified body was also retrieved from the mine shaft and investigations are under way to determine the identity and the cause of death.

On Friday, the search for Malope was halted after the body was spotted at the bottom of the shaft via a special camera.

The retrieval required specialised equipment that had to be sourced.

“Our search efforts led us to Gauteng and we hope the recovery of Malope’s remains will bring closure to the family as much as it strengthens our case against the accused,” Hadebe said.

The accused will appear in the Nebo magistrate’s court on Thursday for a formal bail application.

They face charges of kidnapping, murder and defeating the ends of justice.

TimesLIVE

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