Police found and removed a young man’s partly decomposed body from the army base yesterday. He was allegedly shot while members of the defence force were conducting a pre-deployment exercise during the week.
Police found and removed a young man’s partly decomposed body from the army base yesterday. He was allegedly shot while members of the defence force were conducting a pre-deployment exercise during the week.
Police spokesperson Captain Mali Govender said a search party discovered the man’s body at approximately 11am on Thursday at the 6SAI Military Base just outside of town.
"During the search the partly decomposed body of a male in his late 20s was found with a gunshot wound [in his upper body]," Govender said.
A member of the public informed the army that the man had wandered into the training area looking for copper and had not returned since Tuesday.
Govender said it is believed that the Grahamstown resident who reported the man’s disappearance was friends with the deceased and had been with him when they were in the restricted area on Tuesday.
"The friend fled and reported the incident today after family members enquired after him," Govender explained on Thursday.
The soldiers involved in the pre-deployment exercise were apparently unaware that someone was behind the bushes in the restricted training area.
The police have opened an inquest docket for investigation and ask the community to refrain from picking up scrap metal from the military base as this could be a danger to themselves as well as others.
