Lwandle police are investigating a case of murder after the body of a man was found near the railway line in Strand.
The discovery was made on Friday morning (4 October) and authorities including the City of Cape Town’s Fire and Rescue Service responded to the incident in the Van der Stel residential area.
According to a spokesperson for the City’s Fire and Rescue Service, Quinton Leo, firefighting crews responded to an emergency call alerting them to the scene under the railway bridge in Main Road, Somerset Park, around 07:22.
“One fire engine and one rescue vehicle was dispatched to the scene, where an adult male was found deceased,” he said. “The cause of death is unknown. The scene was handed over to police.”
When DistrictMail & Helderberg Gazette arrived on scene armed-response officers of various private security companies, members of Strand Patrol and officials of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) were also present, protecting the crime scene until the police arrived to fine-comb the area as part of their investigation.
Sergeant Mthokozisi Gama, spokesperson for the Lwandle police, confirmed police had responded to the discovery around 08:54.
“The deceased was found with visible open wounds on the head and was declared dead on the scene,” he said.
The man, whose identity was still unknown at the time of going to print on Tuesday morning (8 October), is believed to be a coloured man estimated to be in his 50s. He was wearing a beige Adidas T-shirt, black jacket and brown trousers.
Lwandle police are urging anyone with information that could end in a breakthrough or help identify the deceased, to contact the police on 021 845 2060.
