WATCH: Body discovered in sewage system in Newclare, Joburg

A body of an unknown man has been discovered in Newclare, behind CJB Secondary School in Johannesburg.

The City of Joburg Emergency Services (EMS) Urban Search and Rescue Unit together with the South African Police Services (Saps) Service Search and Rescue Unit attended to a search and recovery operation on Wednesday morning where they made the grim discovery.

Joburg EMS spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi said: “The body of a male is trapped inside the drainage sewerage system in the area, it was identified by workers from Joburg Water and JRA who were conducting repairs and maintenance work in the area.”

WATCH! Joburg Emergency Services and police at the scene where a man’s body has been discovered

@CityofJoburgEMS Rescue Technician enters the Sewerage system to recover the trapped body. @CityofJoburgZA @CoJPublicSafety pic.twitter.com/DBDnuEOfyR

— Cojems Spokesperson (@RobertMulaudzi) February 7, 2024

Fragile body

Mulaudzi told The Citizen, it is unclear what happened to the body, but it is believed it may have been a homeless person “who normally sleeps inside the sewerage system”.

A witness at the scene also told The Citizen, emergency services were cautiously trying to extract the body trapped in the drain pipe as it was fragile and in a state of decomposition.

A body an unknown male has been discovered in Newclare, behind CJB Secondary School in Johannesburg. It is believed it may have been a homeless person “who normally sleeps inside the sewerage system.” #Newclare #Johannesburg @CityofJoburgEMS @TheCitizen_News pic.twitter.com/oJG3aBGMZ1

— 𝙵𝚊𝚒𝚣𝚎𝚕 𝙿𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚕 ⚡️ (@FaizelPatel143) February 7, 2024

It’s unclear how old the man is, but police were on scene for further investigations.

ALSO READ: Joburg EMS resume search for duo who drowned during cleansing ritual

Drowning

In a sperate incident, a 25-year-old trainee traditional healer reportedly drowned in the Rainbow River in Mpumalanga while performing rituals.

Police spokesperson Colonel Donald Mdhluli warned communities – especially at Majembeni Trust near Bushbuckridge, where the incident occurred around 9am on Sunday morning – to be cautious when in or close to the waters.

“According to information, three male trainees and the female traditional healer went to the river to perform some rituals. During the process, one of the trainees disappeared inside the river.  A search was conducted with no luck.

“The matter was immediately reported to the police and police divers were summoned to the scene but sadly the body was retrieved after three hours, at about 12:00,” Mdhluli said.

Mdhluli said there were no visible injuries on the man’s body and an inquest was opened.

Additional reporting by Nicholas Zaal

ALSO READ: Tragic end to Mpumalanga trainee Sangoma’s quest for water rituals