A 24-year-old man believed to be linked to the disappearance of Reuben Marsberg (22) appeared in the Makhado Magistrate’s Court yesterday, where he was formally charged with Marsberg’s murder.

Duncan Gerhard Koekemoer, from Louis Trichardt, was arrested on Saturday after allegedly pointing out a badly decomposed body wrapped in a blanket near a local prison, Polokwane Review reports.

The remains were discovered following a police operation and are believed to be those of Marsberg, who was reported missing on November 27.

The Limpopo police spokesperson, Col Malesela Ledwaba, said the body appeared to have sustained a gunshot wound, and authorities have strong reason to believe it is Marsberg.

Formal identification is still pending.

During the arrest operation, police also recovered Marsberg’s trailer, boat and bush bumper at Koekemoer’s home.

The items were seized as part of the investigation.

According to the indictment, Koekemoer faces charges of premeditated murder, house robbery and possession of suspected stolen property.

The State alleges that the accused assaulted and robbed Marsberg at his home in November.

When Marsberg resisted, he was allegedly shot and killed.

Koekemoer is further accused of stealing a PlayStation, a Toyota Land Cruiser, a trailer and a boat belonging to the deceased.

A special task team from the Polokwane Detective Branch was assigned to support the Makhado police in the investigation.

This led to the suspect being traced and several crime scenes being pointed out to police on Friday and Saturday.

Earlier reports indicated that Koekemoer had made admissions during the pointing-out process.

The motive for the alleged killing remains unclear.

Reaction Unit South Africa, which assisted in tracing Marsberg, confirmed that Reuben and his brother Brent had recently moved from KwaZulu-Natal and were working as diesel mechanics in Levubu.

On the day Reuben disappeared, he dropped Brent at his girlfriend’s home.

The brothers agreed that Reuben would collect him the following morning.

However, by 08:00 the next day, Brent was unable to reach him, as his phone had been switched off.

Brent later travelled to their shared residence on a nearby farm, where he found no sign of Reuben, his vehicle, or several personal belongings, including a boat.

There were no signs of forced entry at the house.

The Marsberg family has reportedly indicated that they may apply for permission to conduct independent DNA testing to confirm the identity of the remains found.

The accused remains in custody.

The matter has been postponed for profiling and a possible bail application next year.

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