The family of a granny who went missing in 2022 and was later found murdered in the local mountains said the discovery had brought them closer to closure.
Gogo Emma Mushamula of Tshiheni disappeared in 2022 while on her way to the Khakhu Clinic for medical care. She never returned home. Her family opened a missing person's docket, but searches yielded no results.
Three years later, partial closure came when her skeletal remains were found at Mangwele Mountain. A community member hunting in the area discovered the remains on Monday, 1 December, at around 12:45.
Next to the skeleton were items, including clothing, a black purse, a handbag, a smart ID card and a cell phone, hidden under a large rock.
The late granny's son, Vuledzani Mushamula, said the items had been positively identified by the family. "We are relieved, following the discovery. We are closer to know what could have happened to her. She could not have gone there on her own. The place where she was found was very far from the village. Another disturbing thing is that the clinic has no record of her visiting on that day. We are waiting for the formal DNA results, so we can give her a proper funeral," he said.
Limpopo police spokesperson Col Malesela Ledwaba said an inquest docket had been opened, following the discovery.
"We were alerted to the scene by a hunter who reported the sighting of a skull and bones. Upon arrival, we found a decomposed skull and scattered bones. Preliminary investigations revealed that the items at the scene appeared to belong to a resident of Tshiheni Village, who was reported missing in September 2022," he said.
Ledwaba added that a family member had positively identified the clothing and ID card as belonging to the missing woman. The skull and bones were collected for DNA analysis to confirm her identity conclusively.