MEMBERS of the SAPS Durban Search and Rescue unit recovered the body of a woman (74) who had been reported missing in August, in Hillcrest on Sunday, October 25.

Bongekile Dlamini, the daughter of the woman whose remains were recovered on Sunday, confirmed that it was her mother, Anna Mapsu, who was found near the Mariannhill Toll Plaza.

Dlamini said her family was notified by the person who spotted Mapsu’s body and the family then contacted the police.

“When we last saw her, she had left home saying she was going to a nearby forest to gather traditional medicine because she is a Sangoma. She left at around 11:00 on that day. We really do not know how her body ended up where it was found on Sunday,” said Dlamini, who confirmed that her mother had been reported missing to the local police.

Police said recovering Mapsu’s decomposed remains was challenging because the area was inaccessible.

“On this call-out, the team was assisted by Durban K9 Search and Rescue as well as Search and Rescue South Africa.

“The team’s task in Hillcrest was to recover decomposed bodily remains spotted by a passerby from the Giba Gorge near the Marriannhill Toll Plaza. The team traversed extremely dense bush and rocky terrain to reach the victim.

Also read: Family of missing Mariannhill man believe skeletal remains are his

“The body was recovered using a rescue stokes basket and carried down the mountain to the roadside and handed over to members of Hillcrest SAPS.

“The identity of the victim was confirmed by family members on scene as that of the 74-year-old female who was reported missing on 21 August 2026.

“An inquest docket has been registered at Hillcrest Police Station to determine the circumstances that led to the elderly lady’s death,” said the police.

This discovery of the decomposed remains of Mapsu has fuelled speculation among locals in the area, raising fears that a killer may be on the loose following another discovery of a dead body on October 16.

On October 16, police recovered skeletal remains on Dabe Road in Tshelimnyama, which the family of Vusi Khambule, who had been reported missing, believe belong to him.

On Friday, October 23, KZN SAPS spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Paul Magwaza said DNA results were still pending to establish whether those remains are those of Khambule.

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