Cannibalism suspect in South Africa 'tells police he is tired of eating human flesh'

Four men have been have been charged with murder and conspiracy to murder

The man led officers to a house in the province where further body parts were recovered (Getty Images )

A man who told police he was "tired" of eating human flesh after brandishing a woman's leg at them, is among four men to be charged with murder by authorities South Africa.

“It is alleged that the suspects raped, killed and cut up the body of a woman, which they then consumed," police Colonel Thembeka Mbhele told the News24 website.

He added that there may be more than one victim.

Officers found more body parts, after the man took them back to a house in the city of Pietermaritzburg, near Durban.

Nino Mbatha, 32, Sthembiso Sithole, 31, Lindokuhle Masondo, 32, and Lungisani Magubane, 30, faced charges of murder and conspiracy to murder, when they appeared at Estcourt Magistrate’s Court earlier this week.

Police told the BBC that they fear that the men, two of whom are traditional healers, may be part of a larger syndicate.

An investigation has been launched into whether other people from the area may have been murdered by the men. Officers have urged those with missing relatives to contact police to allow DNA tests to be carried out.

A further report by News24’s The Witness claimed as many as 300 villagers at a community meeting allegedly admitted to knowingly eating human flesh that was given to them by one of the men who had appeared in court and was known as a traditional healer.

Around 700 people were reportedly at the meeting.