Crowd stones healer to death
2005-09-07 08:16
Lindsay Barnes
Pietermaritzburg - Police were unable to prevent a group of Mpophomeni residents from stoning to death a traditional healer in front of them while they were searching his house in connection with the death of two people.
About six police investigators accompanied the traditional healer to his home in Korea Section at around 16:00 on Monday afternoon to search for clues regarding the killing of an Umlazi man and young woman, police spokesperson Joshua Gwala said.
A crowd of about 300 residents gathered outside and stormed the property, attacking the police and the traditional healer.
The police tried to calm the angry group but did not fire any warning shots as the crowd included some children as young as eight years old, Gwala said. Instead they called for backup. None of the police was injured in the incident, he said.
The traditional healer, 25, whose name has not been released as his next-of-kin have not yet been contacted, was severely injured on the head and body by the residents who then fled the scene, Gwala said.
The dead man is suspected of practising witchcraft, he said. His home was set alight by arsonists on Sunday and his possessions were destroyed, according to a Mpophomeni resident.
At the time of the stoning, the police were investigating the gruesome deaths of Zamani Mathonsi, 49, an Umlazi resident who had told his family he was going to visit a traditional healer in Mpophomeni, Gwala said.
Parts of his body were found in Inguga River on August 29 and the partially decomposed body of Sizeni Shelembe, 23, was found in the same area on September 4. Shelembe was last seen alive by a friend about a month ago.
The traditional healer hailed from the Pongolo or Paulpetersburg area. There have been no arrests, Gwala said.
Police are appealing to anyone who has information regarding the attack or the identification of the traditional healer to phone Mpophomeni police on 238 0078 or Crime Stop on the toll free number 08600 10111.
- The Witness