A South African hospital cleaner has been arrested after being found in possession of a bag of human placentas in eastern Mpumalanga province, according to police reports.
Rose Mnisi was allegedly seeking potential buyers for the human body tissue when she was apprehended by security officers following a tip-off.
Upon being approached by police, the woman was caught with human tissues. The woman confirmed that she is a cleaner in the maternity ward, police stated.
The 39-year-old woman appeared in court on Thursday, facing charges of illegal possession of human tissues. The body parts were seized and sent for forensic analysis. She has yet to respond to the charges.
Police stated that the suspect was hitchhiking to the Nelspruit area when she was arrested by officers conducting routine patrols in the town of Lydenburg, also known as Mashishing. She had an unspecified number of human placentas in a plastic bag when she was stopped.
The woman has been charged accordingly, police noted, and they cannot rule out the possibility of additional charges as the investigation unfolds. She is expected back in court next month for a bail application.
While police did not clarify the intended use for the placentas, some cultural beliefs suggest that consuming human tissues can enhance breast milk production and help prevent post-natal depression, although scientific evidence supporting these claims is lacking.
In South Africa, there have been past incidents linking killings and mutilations to the use of human body parts in traditional rituals. Earlier this month, a traditional healer from Mozambique faced charges after being found with human remains in Tshwane, which investigators associated with a murder case.
