By Doreen Mokgolo
A dog named Betty has been hailed as a ‘hero’ by her owner after she uncovered a human hand on Monday morning.
The grim discovery triggered a major K-9 search and rescue operation, and later on Monday, police discovered the body of a man in his late teens or early twenties.
The man, who has not been identified, was found in a water ditch among long reeds.
A member of the community spotted Betty running out of a nearby trench with the severed hand.
“I found it eating the fingers, and I was able to negotiate with it and managed to remove it from its grasp, I then took it outside the owner’s gate away from the dog’s reach,” said witness Banzi Vilakazi.
According to witnesses, the hand looked fresh, as it was covered in blood and did not have a decomposing smell.
Betty’s owner, Mathew Ntimbane, explained that his dog broke off its leash to search for food and returned with the hand.
At first, Ntimbane thought Betty was eating animal remains but was horrified to find out from his neighbours that she was eating a human hand.
“My dog is a hero for unearthing it,” he said, adding that he took Betty back to the trenches to search for the rest of the body.
“I have been searching for the rest of the body with my dog Betty unsuccessfully, I suspected that the body couldn’t be far because it kept going back to the reeds,” he said.
Other residents joined in and continued to clear the nearby trench, covered in long grass, while they waited for the K-9 search and rescue unit to arrive at the scene.
Kwa-Thema police spokesperson Constable Nkululeko Magudulela confirmed that they are investigating a case of murder.
“The deceased is yet to be identified,” he told Scrolla.Africa.
“We are calling on anyone with information that may lead the police to the body or suspects to come forward.”
Pictured above: Betty and her owner, Mathew Ntimbane
Image source: Doreen Mokgolo
