The lifeless body of former mayor and farmer Manna Naidoo was discovered by KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) authorities on the same day his family reported him missing.
What happened to Manna Naidoo?
The former mayor of the Canelands was reported missing by his family on Wednesday after numerous attempts to reach him were unsuccessful.
One of his relatives, a police statement read, conducted a wellness check on the 74-year-old and found no signs of him at the farm.
A concerted search effort led by Canelands police, members of private security firm Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) and local community organisations kicked off on Wednesday.
Alarm bells had already gone off when his family had noticed, upon searching his homestead, that four of his firearms were removed from the safe.
Moreover, the former mayor’s white Toyota Hilux bakkie with registration plates NJ 777 was nowhere to be found on the property.
Hours into the search, the police’s suspicion that Naidoo may have fallen victim to a home invasion was certified when the 74-year-old’s body was discovered in a cane field opposite his farm.
Naidoo’s bullet-riddled body was transported to a nearby forensic pathology facility where an autopsy will be conducted to determine crucial information about his manner and time of death.
If the 74-year-old has defensive wounds, this may offer detectives a lead since he may have left the suspects’ DNA tissue beneath his nails.
At this time, however, no suspects have been named in the murder investigation.
This is a developing story.
