Police have given no indication on whether they are probing if City of Cape Town staffer, Alistair Stanbull, was murdered amid his mysterious disappearance.
This despite state prosecutors revealing that Stanbull who is an accused in a R2.5 million fraud case was allegedly a "victim of foul play".
While DNA tests still have to be completed, police have confirmed that the decomposed body of a male hiker was found in the same vicinity where Stanbull was believably last seen.
The body was discovered at Silvermine Nature Reserve, a month after Stanbull’s mysterious disappearance on 29 April.
Stanbull, who was employed at the City’s Human Settlements Department was implicated in a R2.5 million fraud scandal and was arrested with another colleague in November 2022 and later released on R10 000 bail.
The state alleged that the employees of a construction company, including the directors, supplied false invoices to the City and allegedly misrepresented some of the work they charged for as being finalised.
Stanbull and his colleague allegedly allowed the invoices to be authorised even though they knew the work was not completed.
Stanbull was set to appear in the Bellville Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Monday where the prosecutor explained it was believed that he is dead but DNA tests still needed to be conducted.
Asked whether police were now investigating a murder and if the DNA tests had been completed, police spokesperson, Sergeant Wesley Twigg said yesterday: "Kindly be advised that there are no new developments to report at this stage. The investigation into the matter is still ongoing.“
monique.duval@inl.co.za