SA denies having 15 bodies of border jumpers

South African police yesterday last week's media reports that 15 bodies of Zimbabwean border jumpers had been found in a cave on the banks of the Limpopo River.

Musina police, Lieutenant Colonel Roneo Otto, said she had no knowledge of that incident and had, in fact, seen the report which quoted Zimbabwean Beitbridge police officer, Chief Superintendent Patrick Majuta.

"We don't have a report of that nature here, it is coming from your country and Beitbridge police in Zimbabwe are better positioned to tell you that story," said Otto.

Media reports last week said 15 badly mutilated bodies, suspected to be those of border jumpers,  were found in a cave three kilometres east of the old Beit- Bridge, linking Zimbabwe and South Africa.

The report quoting Majuta went on to say Zimbabwean police had even escorted some Zimbabweans to their counterparts in South Africa to identify the bodies in a police morgue.

"We have nothing like that," Otto said.

Matabeleland South police spokesperson Inspector Philisani Ndebele yesterday referred all questions to Majuta, saying his office in Gwanda had not received any such reports.

"That report came from Beitbridge, we do not have it here and you have to ask police in Beitbridge. Where there are more than five deaths, it becomes a national issue, a magnitude of 15 will obviously be a national disaster," said Ndebele.

Majuta yesterday refused to shed any light on the story saying he was only willing to speak to journalists he knew: "I told you that I don't know you and I can't tell you anything," he said.

On Sunday, Home Affairs minister Kembo Mohadi said he had not received a report of that nature and he was not aware of it.