The body of a diminutive old man, who made headlines last year when he was kidnapped and tortured after being accused of conning people out of money, has been identified at a city morgue - SEVEN months after he was reported missing.
Zainodien Moerat was reported missing in
September last year, and police confirmed his body was found floating in a canal in Macassar a few days later, on 29 September.
The decomposing body of the 68-year-old was positively identified via fingerprints on Monday, and his family was informed.
His children say it is unlikely their father could have drowned because he could swim.
They believe he was kidnapped and murdered, and have raised questions about how he got to Macassar when he lives in Hanover Park and usually begged at robots in Ottery and Athlone.
Zainodien hit the headlines in May last year when two young men at a car workshop in Grassy Park tortured him by blindfolding him and threatening to hit him with a hammer.
A second video showed one of the men placing his finger in an engine, and in another he was forced to admit he was a conman and promise to never do it again.
The videos went viral on social media and the two men were forced to apologise.
Zainodien was laid to rest yesterday in accordance with Islamic rites.
The pensioner suffered from Alzheimer’s and was a well-known sight at Cape Flats robots, wearing a faded green blazer and fez, as he begged for money, food, or a lift to the nearest mosque.
His children said their father had been a truck driver before becoming ill.
He would hitch-hike and tell people about the death of his wife, Adielah Moerat, 57, who died of pancreatic cancer 10 years ago.
Zainodien was last seen at his home on 25 September. A missing person’s case was opened with police but he was never found until now.
Yesterday, his sons Gamied, 40 and Zainodien Junior, 36, told the Daily Voice they believed their father had been kidnapped and murdered.
“He died around 29 September last year and the detective came to our house on Monday to say they could not positively identify him until now,” says Zainodien.
Gamied wants to know how his father managed to get to Macassar: “I don’t believe he drowned, he could swim. We believe he was kidnapped and murdered. Why would he swim in a canal or sewer?”
Gamied claims a woman also tried to extort money from them: “This woman said she wanted R1000 and that she would tell us where our father was. We don’t know who she is and we have not heard from her again.”
Zainodien adds: “We want to meet the person who found the body, and we want to see where his body was found and investigate
ourselves what happened.”
But police spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk says no foul play is suspected.
“An inquest case was registered for investigation,” he said.