Byline: Refeloe Letsoisa
19 August 2025
The police in Bethal, together with Bethal Forensic Pathology, request the assistance from the public in identifying the body of an adult homeless man kept at the government mortuary since June.
According to the report, police received information about an unknown homeless man lying on the street motionless on Sunday, 29 June 2025, and police swiftly attended to the information at hand.
Upon arriving at the scene, police found the body of an unknown homeless man near Damval Street with no sign of life. The police summoned role players, including Bethal Emergency Medical Services and Forensic Pathology, to the scene, and the man was declared dead by Nompilo Mohale, an emergency care practitioner from Bethal Emergency Medical Services. The body was then transported to the Bethal government mortuary by Miss Nomasonto Nkumane, the forensic pathologist.
The investigating officer worked closely with the Department of Home Affairs by taking fingerprints on his right hand to ascertain the information of the man; hence, his left fingers were damaged. The information retrieved from the Department of Home Affairs revealed that the given name of the man is Zikode Petrus Zwane, born on 16 May 1957.
Police in Bethal urge anyone who may have information that could assist in identifying the deceased or locating his family to contact Detective Warrant Officer Andre Henn on 060 802 2876 or call the crime stop number on 08600 10111 or submit it via the MYSAPSAPP. All received information will be treated with strict confidentiality, and callers may opt to remain anonymous.
