A homeless woman’s body was found inside a complex’s refuse section on Maxwell Street on Tuesday afternoon.

A syringe was found next to her. So far she has only been identified as Kirsty by those who knew her.

Kempton SAPS spokesperson, Capt Jethro Mtshali, confirmed that police received the information after 12pm from a person who had seen a woman’s body lying next to the refuse skip inside the premises of the complex.

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“Paramedics rushed to the scene and confirmed the woman was dead. An inquest docket will be opened and a post-mortem will determine the cause of her death,” Mtshali said.

Three other people who claimed to be her friends, two women and a man, approached the police at the scene and asked if they could take a look at her and see if they could identify her.

Just a few moments after being given permission, one of the women’s cries could be heard coming from the pavement in front of the complex. They had recognised the woman, who they said was their friend.

One of the friends spoke to EXPRESS and said the deceased had three young children.

Kirsty, a blonde-haired slender woman, was allegedly using heroine and cocaine.

“But she was trying to quit and was clean for two weeks,” the weeping woman, who is also living on the streets, said. “She was trying to come clean but had been rejected by a rehab centre at Sterkfontein.”

Kirsty was, according to her friend, rejected because she wasn’t a “suitable candidate”.

The woman said she had last seen Kirsty on Tuesday morning but paid no attention to her as she was tired and still asleep. “I feel so guilty now because I didn’t pay attention to her and I just continued sleeping.”

The complex’s residents said they knew the woman and she “slept next to the refuse skip often”.

The forensics unit was on the scene to conduct investigations.