Could it be a case of old skeletons tumbling out of the closet or was it merely an old grave accidently stumbled upon?

Mystery surrounds the discovery of a skeleton in a quiet family backyard in Schimper Crescent, Louis Trichardt, last Thursday.

The gruesome discovery was made by construction workers who were busy digging a ditch while searching for a blocked drain pipe. Local police were alerted and soon afterwards the bones were collected and sent to the police’s forensic laboratory for testing.

On Monday, the Zoutpansberger showed photos of the skeleton to local archaeologist Mr Stephan Gaigher. Gaigher had no doubt that the skeleton was that of a human, being able to identify a skull and fragments of the right femur, a short rib and radial forearm.

Gaigher said that the skeleton could be that of a woman, judging by the skull’s facial features. As for the development of the skull, he also speculated on the age of the person at the time of death, saying that she could have been slightly older than twenty years.

As for how long the skeleton had been buried, Gaigher said that the Soutpansberg’s fluctuating climate makes it very hard to determine how long bones have been underground.

“Bones buried in the ground need to be either dry or wet to be preserved. Regular fluctuations in the climate cause the bones to rot away too quickly,” he explained. In this regard, based on the condition in which the bones were found, Gaigher said that he was of the opinion that the bones were not that old, at least no older than 100 years.

“Without looking at the bones themselves, as well as the location where they were found, it is, however, difficult to say with absolute certainty how old the bones really are,” Gaigher said.

The discovery of the bones sparked widespread interest as to its origin.

Well-known historian Mr Charles Leach said he had never heard of any old Venda or Voortrekker graveyards in that part of Louis Trichardt. He was only aware of the possibility of old graves north of the N1. This has not, however, been confirmed yet.

“For all we know, it might have been a murder victim,” said Leach.

Mr Pieter Botha, well-known expert in the field of Venda history, says he disagrees. He claims that, even before the Great Trek, it was not unusual for various small tribes which had fled from other hostile tribes to settle at the southern side of the Soutpansberg.

Yet another renowned historian and author of the book Die Dorp Louis Trichardt, Mr Piet de Vaal, says that, to the best of his knowledge with regard to the possible origin of the skeleton, during World War II an old military training camp used to be in the area where the skeleton was discovered.

Author Johann Tempelhoff’s book Townspeople of the Soutpansberg – A Centenary History cites municipal records about the existence of the camp of the Natal Equestrian Regiment. This camp was, however, located on the premises of the present-day Louis Trichardt High School.

Makhado police spokesperson Capt Maano Sadike said this week that police have opened an preliminary docket, while waiting for the test results from the laboratory.

“An inquest docket will be opened only after the laboratory has confirmed that the bones are human,” he said.

According to the National Heritage Resources Act (Act No. 25 of 1999) “any person who discovers archaeological or paleontological objects or material or a meteorite in the course of development or agricultural activity must immediately report the find to the responsible heritage resources authority, or to the nearest local authority offices or museum, which must immediately notify such heritage resources authority.”

According to Mrs Pètria Marais, the daughter of Mr De Vaal, who is familiar with the Act, this means that a professional archaeologist must visit the site and compile a report for the State.

For the moment, however, the owners of the house, who do not want to be identified at this stage, say that they have stopped any further digging and are awaiting further instructions from the police.

In a “sinister” turn of events, a part of the house where the bones were found, burnt to the ground on Saturday. At the time of going to press, it was still not clear what had caused the fire, as police were waiting for the forensic report.