A body of a three-year-old boy has been found dumped in a bush next to Dikoting village, outside Groblersdal on Friday.

Limpopo police said the gruesome discovery was made by a passer-by who alerted law enforcement officials.

Spokesman Colonel Moatshe Ngoepe said that "the deceased was found lying in a pool of blood with stones lying next to his body, which is suspected to be the weapon used during the commission of this heinous act".

The little boy was identified as Samson Sithole.

"The motive behind this brutal incident is not clear at this stage but the ongoing police investigations will tell," Ngoepe added.

The Provincial Commissioner of the South African Police Service Lieutenant General Nneke Ledwaba has sent a stern warning to those who were "perpetrating any form of criminality including the violent crimes against children in some parts of Limpopo".

"The police are determined to robustly deal with all criminalities affecting our children. Those who choose to close their ears to our continuous warning messages, will be hunted down until we take them to where they belong," concluded Ledwaba.