The discovery of the decomposed body of a male hiker at the Silvermine Nature Reserve on Tuesday has aroused suspicions that missing City of Cape Town staffer Alistair Stanbull is dead.
This comes amid shocking revelations that investigators believed he was in fact kidnapped on the day of his disappearance.
The mysterious disappearance of the man implicated in a R2.5 million fraud scandal sent tongues wagging as City staff embarked on extensive searches along the mountain.
At the time police spokesperson, Sergeant Wesley Twigg said Stanbull was last seen on 29 April and his car found near Ou Kaapse Weg the next day.
Twigg reports: “Alistair told his wife that he was going for a hike and left his premises in Steenberg and never returned.
“His vehicle was found on Ou Kaapse Weg. At the time of his disappearance he was wearing a grey long-sleeve t-shirt and khaki hiking pants.”
Stanbull who is employed at the City’s Human Settlements Department was expected to return to Bellville Commercial Crimes Court on Monday where he faces various charges.
He was arrested along 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, had supplied false invoices to the City and allegedly misrepresented some of the work they charged for as being finalised.
Stanbull allegedly allowed the invoices to be authorised even though they knew the work was not completed.
Sources have revealed that details of the investigation emerged last week revealing that the utilisation of tracker dogs were used created a suspicion Stanbull had been kidnapped.
The insider explains: “They used tracker dogs who traced his scent across the trail he hiked. But as the trail moved again towards the place where his vehicle was found the scent disappeared and this aroused the suspicions of investigators that he was kidnapped.
Police spokesperson, Warrant Officer Joseph Swartbooi , says Kirstenhof police responded to a complaint about a body which was discovered at a nature reserve but could not confirm whether it was Stanbull or not.
“Upon their arrival at the scene, they found the decomposed body of an unknown man dressed in a grey pants and a T-shirt with black boots in a stream next to the hiking trail.
“The victim was declared deceased on the scene by the medical personnel. An autopsy will be conducted to confirm the cause of death. Kirstenhof police registered an inquest for further investigation.”
However a source close to Stanbull reveals that police were “almost certain” it was him, and believed that his body was dumped there.
“They are 90% sure it is him but the tests still have to be done. They have indicated that whatever happened did not happened at the place where the body was found.”
monique.duval@inl.co.za