BLOEMFONTEIN – A man claiming to be “the messiah” appeared briefly in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 22 December, following his arrest after police found him naked in a storm water drainage tunnel beneath the Central Park Shopping Complex, holding a severed human head.
The suspect, identified as Thabo Malotle (29), was taken into custody on Saturday 20 December after police at Thabure–Parkweg were alerted at about 15:00 to reports of a man seen holding what appeared to be a human skull in the drainage tunnel under the shopping complex.
Officers responded swiftly and found an African male lying naked in the stream with a skull in his hands. He was immediately arrested.
Further information received by police indicated that an unknown male had attacked another person further downstream. A search was conducted along the stream, leading officers to the Old East End industrial area. Near the N8 National Road close to Nathan Street, police discovered a large rock with bone fragments, flesh and brain matter on its side.
A continued search of the area resulted in the discovery of a beheaded male body lying in the stream not far from where the rock and human remains were found. The deceased has not yet been identified.
During his arrest, the suspect allegedly told police that he had to kill the victim to prove that he is “the messiah”.
A case docket of murder, with an additional charge of violation of a corpse, was opened at Heidedal Police Station.
Following his brief court appearance on Monday, Malotle was remanded into custody and is scheduled to undergo a psychological evaluation on Tuesday, 6 January 2026.
Police in Heidedal have appealed to the public for assistance in identifying the deceased. Anyone with information regarding the identity of the man or his relatives is urged to contact Sergeant Consolacion Booysen or Captain Jacques Wilson on 082 553 6307. Information can also be submitted via the MySAPS App or by calling the SAPS Crime Stop number on 08600 10111.
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