A 30-year-old man from the Vaal was found dead, floating in a river, believed to have been killed for his Road Accident Fund (RAF) payout.
Teboho Sebusi had been missing since June. According to the Daily Sun, Sebusi, who was from Boitumelo near Sebokeng in the Vaal, was last seen on 16 May 2024, when he left for Durban to celebrate his RAF payout.
Missing Vaal Man Found Dead In A River After RAF Payout
People in his community had been eagerly waiting for Sebusi to receive the RAF money, as he often spoke about it. After finally receiving the funds, he purchased a new car and materials to renovate his home.
He then planned a trip to Durban, but that was the last time anyone heard from him. After months of searching, police discovered his decomposed body on Tuesday, 27 August, floating in a river on Jorita Farm, near the Swinburne district in Harrismith.
His brother, Mpho Sebusi, said the police only identified Teboho from his bank cards:
“It clearly shows that my brother never arrived in Durban, and he didn’t enjoy his money as we’re still waiting for his bank statement so that we can see what he did with his money.”
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The Calls For Help
Before his disappearance, a scared Teboho had called friends and family during his journey to Durban, saying an unknown man was following him.
Whenever he got off the bus to go to a shop, the man would also get off and stay close to him. His family said that his friends reported that Teboho got off the bus in Harrismith and went to the police station, but the man followed him there as well.
When he realised he wasn’t getting help at the police station, he went to a nearby gas station, but the man continued to follow him. Teboho called his friends again, asking to be picked up because he feared for his life. His friends asked the petrol station manager to watch over him while they were on their way to rescue him.
Tragically, just 30 minutes before his friends arrived, Sebusi left the petrol station. CCTV footage shows him walking to the back of the station, where there were no cameras, and that was the last time he was seen alive.
Free State police spokesman Warrant Officer Mmako Mophiring confirmed Harrismith police have opened an inquest docket. Mophiring confirmed that the family positively identified the body.
“The deceased’s mother identified him with the clothes he was wearing the day he was reported missing and the tattoos on his left hand,” Mophiring said.