Pending autopsy leaves Clapperton family without answers
While it took the Witbank SAPS three days to respond to the scene where the remains of Jeff Clapperton were found, forensic pathologists have still not conducted the post-mortem promised on Monday.
The chance to lay Jeff to rest and find closure has been dragged out even further for the family, as Jeff’s daughter, Jayne, says they can’t arrange a burial for her 80-year-old father, who disappeared on Sunday two weeks ago.
After two days of searching the rural area alongside the R554, Jeff’s remains were finally found last Saturday within a 1km radius of his vehicle.
Jayne said that her father’s cause of death remains unknown, and their questions unanswered until an autopsy is done.
According to her knowledge, the autopsy, which was scheduled for Monday, has been repeatedly postponed.
• Jeff went missing on July 16 while running errands in eMalahleni.
A wide-scale search was launched until his abandoned vehicle was reported by a farmer on a gravel road situated on the Verena road, roughly 20km outside eMalahleni.
The farmer, who identified himself as Phillip Tlau, finally reported the abandoned vehicle to the Middelburg Observer last week Friday, after twice reporting it at the Witbank Police Station that Tuesday. Members of the SAPS finally joined the family in their search on Friday on the farm where the vehicle was located.
