Detectives in Carletonville are investigating the brutal murder of a 55-year-old former mine worker whose body was discovered in a wooded area this week.

A pedestrian made the grim discovery at around 11:05 while walking along a gravel path leading into the veld from Falcon Street on the far eastern side of Carletonville on June 15. The area, located next to the northern wall of the former Goldfields Recreation Club, is surrounded by eucalyptus trees and is known to older residents as the “Blue Bush.”

The victim, a former employee of Mponeng Mine who had recently left his job due to ill health, was found lying just off the vehicle track with his feet tied together. He had suffered multiple stab wounds to the chest.

Police believe the man was murdered on June 13 and that his body had lain at the scene for three to four days before being discovered.

Officers found a trail of documents scattered around the scene. Investigators revealed that the victim had recently received a substantial payout after leaving the mine, leading them to believe he was lured to the secluded area and murdered for his money.

Among the documents, police recovered a fake police identity card containing a photograph but no name. Anyone who recognises the person in the photograph is urged to contact the Carletonville police immediately.

In a separate and equally baffling case, the body of a young woman was discovered near Welverdiend on June 20.

Pedestrians alerted police at around 13:40 after spotting the body in the veld between Khutsong Extension 6 and the Elijah Barayi Mega Housing Complex.

The victim, believed to be between 18 and 22 years old, had been strangled. Police suspect she may also have been sexually assaulted before her killer allegedly attempted to burn her body with paraffin.

Anyone with information regarding either of these murders is urged to contact the investigating officer, Sergeant Malesela Kekana, at the Carletonville Police Station.