Police have arrested a 39-year-old hospital cleaner after she was found carrying a plastic bag containing human placentas in Mpumalanga province.
Authorities said Rose Mnisi, who works in a maternity ward, was detained during a routine patrol in Lydenburg after security officers tipped off police that she was seeking potential buyers for human tissue. “Upon approach, the woman was found with human tissues and confirmed she is a cleaner in the maternity ward,” police said.
Mnisi appeared in court on Thursday charged with illegal possession of human tissues. The bag and its contents were seized for forensic analysis. She is due back in court next month for a bail application, and police said additional charges may follow as investigations continue.
Officers said the suspect had been hitchhiking toward the Nelspruit area at the time of her arrest. They did not specify the intended use of the placentas. South African authorities have previously linked some killings and mutilations to the use of human body parts in traditional rituals. Earlier this month, a Mozambican traditional healer appeared in a Tshwane court after body parts tied to a 2023 murder were allegedly found in his possession.