A South African hospital cleaner, Rose Mnisi, has been arrested for possessing a bag of human placentas in eastern Mpumalanga province.
She was allegedly looking for potential buyers for the human body tissue when security authorities picked her up on 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 said in a statement.
The 39-year-old woman appeared in court on Thursday, charged with illegal possession of human tissue.
The body tissues were taken and sent for forensic examination. She has yet to respond to the charges.
Police say the suspect was “hitchhiking” to the Nelspruit area when she was apprehended by officers performing normal patrols in Lydenburg, also known as Mashishing.
She was carrying an unknown quantity of human placentas in a plastic bag when she was apprehended, according to authorities.
Police said the lady was “charged accordingly” and that they could not rule out the possibility of additional charges as the investigation continued.
She is scheduled to return to court next month to file a bail application.
The police did not specify what the placentas were allegedly going to be used for, but some believe ingesting the bodily tissue can increase breast milk supply and even prevent postpartum depression, despite the lack of scientific evidence.
In South Africa, several murders and mutilations have been linked to the use of human body parts in traditional ceremonies.
Earlier this month, a Mozambican traditional healer appeared in court after being found with human body parts in Tshwane.
Investigators traced the body pieces to the violent murder of a young woman in 2023, after which her body parts were removed.
