A 30-year-old man has been arrested for murder after the cooked head of a relative was found in his Ga-Khunwana home on Monday, North West police said.

The family of 57-year-old Gopolang Elias Serache reported him missing on Monday to Atamelang police, North West police said in a statement.

"During their preliminary investigations, the police went to one of the relatives, a 30-year-old man, who was last seen with him," said Superintendent Lesego Metsi.

"The man informed the police that he took Mr Serache to his house in a wheelbarrow and that he started cutting off Mr Serache's body parts, some of which he then cooked, including the liver and head."

The man told police that he killed and cooked his relative under the instructions of his ancestors.