THE family had hoped to find gogo Maria Marakalla alive, but sadly, they received painful news.
The 73-year-old gogo was found dead on Monday, 18 September in Lethabong outside Rustenburg, North West after she went missing in July 2023.
The community and the family had looked everywhere in the bushes, where she had gone to collect wood with her two friends, but gogo was nowhere to be found.
Maria's daughter Johanna Marakalla (52) told Daily Sun that she hoped to find her mum alive.
"It is painful for us because we will never know what happened," she said.
Johanna said they buried their sister just after gogo disappeared and it is hard to now bury their mother.
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"We are really not coping," said Johanna.
She said gogo's body was discovered by farmers at the river who then informed the police.
"Her body was already decomposed. We could only identify her by the clothes she was wearing," she said.
Maria will be buried on Sunday, 24 September at Lethabong.
Police spokeswoman Captain Aafje Botma confirmed that the body was found on Monday, 18 September.
Botma said the family has identified the body.
"An inquest docket is being investigated," he said.
