A British expat couple who were taken from their South African home "may have been dismembered with their body parts sold to a witch doctor", a court has heard.
The elderly couple's family have accused the police of covering up the vicious "slaughter".
In August last year, Anthony Dinnis, 73, and Gillian Dinnis, 78, were abducted by a trio of armed men from their isolated farm in Middlerus, located in the Mooi River region of KwaZulu-Natal.
The pensioners moved to South Africa more than 30 years ago before they disappeared without a trace.
A British couple who were taken from their South African home 'may have been dismembered with their body parts sold to a witch doctor', a court heard (stock image)GettyAlmost a year after the incident, two suspects who worked on the couple's farm as labourers and were arrested last year in connection with the murders, have been released without charge.
One of the suspects confessed that Anthony and Gillian were brutally killed.
The Dinnis family allege that the officers are covering up the crime after local police refused to give out details.
The grim details were read out at a magistrate's court bail hearing for one of the accused after a police affidavit was submitted by Detective Warrant Officer Johannes de Lange.
One of the suspects said that when a ransom was not paid the couple were murdered and that parts of their bodies were cut off to be sold as "muti", according to a local report from The Citizen.
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Days after the pair disappeared their son Sam received a threatening WhatsApp text from his mum's phone demanding a R2m (£85,000) ransom.
Their daughter Kate Anderson also received the text in Zulu which said: "To make things easy just pay R2m into this bank account number if you want to see your parents again".
The family then contacted police and pleaded that they allocate more resources to the search including asking for their mother’s phone to be tracked and for a helicopter to assist - both of which were turned down.
After the couple's daughter went through her father's diary which mentioned their gardener several times, police tracked him down and found him at a church with a gun and Gillian's SIM card in his phone.
The court heard that a confession from the suspect revealed the British couple's body parts were sold for R50,000 (£2,175).
The court heard that a confession from the suspect revealed the British couple's body parts were sold for R50,000 (£2,175) in Johannesburg
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Gang members allegedly travelled five hours to Johannesburg to find a witch doctor to sell the body parts.
Despite the confessions, National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said the suspect's charges were withdrawn on June 13 due to "insufficient evidence" and the investigation continues.
Kate told Rapport: "If so my question is where is the sangoma (witchdoctor)? Is there a massive cover up? Perhaps because the police are from the same area they are afraid by the muti claims?
"It just feels to me that everything has been messed up. I have sent many emails to the police and others beseeching them not to abandon the investigation and get justice."
Police are still hunting for the two other members of the gang and confirmed that they have not found any sign of Anthony or Gillian's bodies.
