Body found in bushes believed to be that of missing cattle farmer

The badly decomposed body discovered near Popallin Ranch on 20 January is believed to be that of missing Mr Nelson Ndou (72) from Sigonde in the Musina district.

Ndou went missing on 21 December last year after leaving his home, saying he was going to look for his cattle in nearby bushes. He was never seen again.

Almost a month after his disappearance, the remains of a man were found in the bushes near Popallin Ranch. The body was discovered by search parties that included family members and local residents.

Ndou family spokesperson Mr Vhulahani Matsea said the disappearance of the elderly man had caused the family great grief. “For a whole month, we combed everywhere with no luck. I am a Christian, but we had to enlist the services of traditional healers, who did not help but added to our grief and robbed us of money, feeding us with false hopes,” said Matsea.

Matsea said that although they have identified Ndou’s body, it still has to undergo DNA testing to confirm his identity. “As of now, we have not set a funeral date, but we hope it will not take long, as we have enlisted the services of a private pathologist,” he said.

He added that the family has many questions following Ndou’s disappearance and subsequent death. “We suspect something sinister happened to him. The location where his body was found is very far from his home. Something happened here, and we are depending on police to do their job and find out what happened,” Matsea said.

Vhembe police spokesperson Warrant Officer Vuledzani Dathi confirmed the discovery of the body. “We can confirm that police in Tshamutumbu are investigating an inquest docket following the discovery of the body at Popallin Ranch,” he said, adding that the remains were taken for investigation. Dathi said the family preliminarily identified the body by the clothes he was wearing.

Date:30 January 2026

By: Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019. He currently writes on a freelance basis, covering human rights issues, court news and entertainment.

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