The worker spotted the naked body of a man floating in the water early on Monday morning. He called the police, and the body was retrieved by police divers.

It’s the second body discovered at the plant. In July, a man’s body was discovered lying on its back, with half of his body submerged in water.

“Upon arrival at the scene, the body was spotted floating in the water,” said Free State police spokesperson Maselela Langa. “It is not clear at this stage what happened.

“We request members of the public to come forward to assist in identifying the deceased, as his whereabouts are still unknown.”

Police urge anyone with information that can assist in identifying the deceased or someone who has lost a family member to contact Capt. Jacques Wilson on 082 533 6307.

Social media users expressed their shock and called for proper security at the site because this is not the first time a body has been found at the site. It is not yet known whether the body of the man who was found was a worker at the site or a community member.

One user asked the question whether police have ruled out the possibility of a serial killer, as there are way too many dead bodies that have been found in Heidedal this year.

“While we don’t want to speculate on the circumstances surrounding this incident,” said Mangaung MMC Vusi Soqaga, “we, however, hold a strong view that our sewer network maintenance efforts are assisting in unraveling crimes committed, wherein the sewer network is used to dispose of evidence.”

Plant workers speculated the body may have been disposed of in a drain somewhere else before being transported via pipelines to the sewage dam.

Meanwhile, police are still searching for the rest of the remains of the woman whose lower body was found in an advanced stage of decomposition on Friday, 12 September. The body was found by two children floating in water in an abandoned building in Heidedal.

OFM News/Zenande Mpame dg