Johannesburg - THE discovery of disjointed human body parts at a back room in Protea Glen, Soweto, has left residents shocked and in disbelief.
The body parts were discovered by a young woman who was visiting her new boyfriend whom she met on Facebook.
It is understood that the couple had their first date on Friday when the woman spent the night with the boyfriend in the back room he was renting.
Trouble started when the young woman told the boyfriend that she was hungry.
The boyfriend left the house, giving the woman a chance to look for food in the fridge. This is when she discovered human body parts stored in the fridge.
After the grim discovery the woman screamed, alarming the community.
A retired cop who came to investigate the matter and alerted police.
The 24-year-old boyfriend was immediately arrested after police discovered only the legs and arms.
Police are still looking for the head of the person but it is believed the parts belong to a woman.
The owner of the house was too distraught to speak to The Star on Sunday.
However, the local councillor of the area, Phelelani Sindani, said the community was still in shock.
"This is not the first incident relating to GBV (gender based violence) in our area so we are shocked. We also had an incident where a taxi driver killed a girlfriend and two kids, and then there was a woman who was raped and dumped in the fields. We are really shaken," he said.
Sindani said the suspect was changing girlfriends regularly, something which worried his landlord.
He said the suspect had been trying to entice a 15-year-old in the area to have her visit him.
He had been chatting to the teenager on social media.
"We are discouraging it. You can't go visit people who you meet on social media. The 15-year-old was showing us a conversation that she was having with this guy. There is something not right about that guy. The police say they want the rest of the body, they just have the legs and arms," he said.
Sindani said the suspect had been paying his rent on time and was a former employee of an insurance company.
The suspect had been putting pressure on his landlord earlier this month to ensure that the electricity issues at the house were fixed, complaining that his food in the fridge was getting rotten.
It is now suspected that he was worried that the body parts in the fridge would start to decompose and smell.
"This boy was putting pressure on the owner, telling him to make sure that Eskom fixes the power problems, but the owner was not sure why the guy was piling on so much pressure. One thing is for sure, he did not kill that person there," Sindani said.
He urged homeowners who would like to rent out part of their homes to always vet the people they allow on to their property.
He said Protea Glen was also experiencing problems with brothels,d car thefts and hijackings, among other issues.
Police spokesperson Brenda Muridili said the suspect will appear in court soon.
He had attempted to kill himself after he was caught. It is understood that he had been treated for wounds he had sustained from trying to kill himself.
"The suspect will appear in court soon on a charge of murder. The body parts will be sent to the forensic science laboratory for identification," Muridili said.
The Star