Mbombela (Nelspruit) – Human remains have been found inside the intestine of a crocodile caught in the Komati River during a search for a missing 59-year-old Gauteng businessman.
The missing man’s Ford Ranger was earlier found stuck on a flooded low-lying bridge in the Komati River, Komatipoort.
Police spokesperson Colonel Mavela Masondo said the businessman had been missing for several days.
“Following a week-long search for the missing businessman, the team identified a crocodile in the river, which was suspected of carrying out the attack on a missing person,” Colonel Masondo said on Saturday, 2 May 2026.
He said the necessary permission was obtained to euthanise the crocodile.
In a highly dangerous and complex operation along the Komati River, Captain Johan “Pottie” Potgieter was hoisted from a SANPARKS helicopter into a crocodile-infested river.
He courageously secured a crocodile using a rope under extremely dangerous conditions.
The animal, which was already euthanised, was then safely lifted and relocated, enabling the police and other experts to recover the remains of a suspected missing person.
“It is then that the human remains were found and retrieved from the crocodile,” Colonel Masondo said.
“The DNA will be conducted to establish if these human remains are the ones of a businessman who was reported missing after his Ford Ranger was found trapped in the low-lying bridge in the Komati River, Komatipoort.”
Apart from human flesh, the postmortem carried out on the crocodile also found shoes and slippers of different sizes inside the belly, suggesting that it may have eaten other humans.
Major General Zeph Mkhwanazi, the South African Police Service (SAPS) acting provincial commissioner in Mpumalanga, has commended the team that searched for the missing businessman in difficult and dangerous conditions.
The team comprised the SAPS Search and Rescue Unit, NatJoint, SANParks, Emergency Medical Services, Securecon, and Port Management Committee.
“I give honour to the dedicated team that has put their lives in danger to find the missing person,” said Major General Mkhwanazi.
“I know it was not easy, but they did not give up, even when they were faced with a dangerous situation.”
Acting SAPS National Commissioner Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane also commended the extraordinary bravery and selflessness displayed by Captain Potgieter, whose actions she said were an example of the highest standards of service and dedication.
