Somerset West police have opened an inquest docket after a body was discovered at the Helderberg Nature Reserve on Thursday 29 October.

Authorities, including emergency services personnel, were dispatched to the scene shortly after 10:00 following initial reports of an incident on the grounds. On arrival, police located the body of a 38-year-old man.

Police spokesperson Sergeant Suzan Jantjies confirmed that no further details can be released at this time as the investigation remains ongoing. Members of the public who may have been visiting the nature reserve on Thursday morning and noticed anything unusual are encouraged to call call the local police on 021 850 1302 or Crime Stop on 08600 10111.

DistrictMail & Helderberg Gazette reached out to the City of Cape Town regarding the discovery; however, a spokesperson said the City is not at liberty to comment in response to the enquiry.

The incident follows two harrowing tragedies in recent months when missing persons were ultimately found dead in the reserve.

In July, the body of Itumeleng Mekoa (37) was found after he went hiking alone on Saturday 4 July. Mekoa was reportedly still in contact with people via WhatsApp until communication abruptly ceased. When he failed to report for work the Monday 6 July, friends alerted authorities and a missing-person docket was opened at Somerset West Police Station on Tuesday 7 July.

A large-scale multi-agency search followed, ending with the discovery of his body on Friday 10 July.

ALSO READ: Missing hiker Itumeleng Mekoa found dead in Helderberg

The following month, another tragedy was confirmed when the body of Rika Norris (60), a Somerset West resident, was found in a steep kloof near Porcupine Ridge in the reserve around 09:00 on Saturday 15 August.

Norris was last seen at 10:00 on Saturday 23 May while walking with a canine counterpart at Lourensford. The dog returned home alone eight days later, while an extensive search involving divers and specialist teams yielded no sign of her for weeks.

News shared of a credible sighting on the Watsonia trail renewed the search, which ultimately led to the discovery of her body. Western Cape police confirmed the body is believed to be that of the 60-year-old woman.

ALSO READ: Liggaam glo dié van vermiste Rika Norris in Helderberg gevind

Koos Jordaan, Norris’s brother-in-law, shared with DistrictMail & Helderberg Gazette that the postmortem confirmed police’s suspicions, although the exact cause of death was not established.

Although the family has come to the conclusion that she may have gotten lost, tried to take a shortcut back, and may have suffered heat exhaustion or something else happened, they celebrated Norris’s life with an intimate gathering held on Thursday 24 September, which would have been her birthday.