by Everson Luhanga for Scrolla.Africa
Families of looters, who have been missing for a year and a half since a gas explosion in the Tembisa Plaza, are anxiously waiting for news as authorities discovered more bodies on Wednesday.
The centre has not been cleared since the July 2021 riots when a gas cylinder exploded. The explosion ignited a fire which spread across several buildings. Some people became trapped in the Shoprite store and were burnt beyond recognition.
There were 13 people who went missing on the day of the looting, Tuesday 13 July 2021, and six have been recovered so far. The remaining seven that are still unaccounted for are expected to be those found in the building.
One of the remaining bodies, reduced to a skeleton, was discovered on Wednesday afternoon around 3pm. The entire Tembisa Plaza has remained shut since then because it was declared unsafe.
The Plaza remains under 24/7 security by armed guards. This morning, there has been a lot of movement with police, forensic staff and locals active at the scene.
At the moment, the media has been kicked off the property by property agents and security has been beefed up.
