Workers laying a water pipeline behind the house of a priest this week made a horrifying discovery at the edge of the Pongola property: a pile of partially burnt bones, which they believe are human. They stopped digging and called in their supervisor, who contacted police in the northern KwaZulu-Natal town who have been investigating the gruesome murder of Lungisani “Kiki” Ntuli. The little boy’s dismembered body was found in a bag in a room of the St John’s Apostolic Church in Ncotshane township last weekend. Several days of rioting followed, fuelled by the arrest of Bishop Zeblon John Nkosi, who was released by police on Friday afternoon. Angry residents also burnt the home of a local woman, who has fled the township, after a bloodstained shirt and what is believed to be a piece of human liver were allegedly found there. They also torched the local courthouse after 14 of their colleagues were arrested for the attack on Nkosi’s church, which was petrol-bombed along with trucks and earth-moving machinery belonging to the priest, who according to residents also earns a living from construction and road tenders. “There were what looked like finger bones, ribs and pieces of shoulder,’’ said one of the workers, who asked not to be named. “They looked like somebody had tried to burn them with petrol and failed. The police took some samples and said we shouldn’t touch them,’’ he added, pointing to fragments that remained. SAPS spokesperson Captain Thulani Zwane yesterday confirmed that the bone material had been sent for forensic analysis in Pretoria. Zwane said Nkosi (51), who residents say arrived in the area around 15 years ago, had been released because of a lack of evidence. “He did not appear in court and was released without the docket being enrolled,” Zwane told City Press yesterday. “We are continuing with our investigation.’’ Zwane refused to comment on whether Nkosi was still a suspect. On Friday, a police vehicle stood across the road from Nkosi’s empty home in an upmarket suburb of the farming town. Neighbours were unwilling to talk much about Nkosi, who broke away from the St John’s Apostolic in 2003 according to elders of the church.
Posted on: Sun, 13 Jul 2014 16:44:20 +0000
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