Mob stones 'witch' to death

2006-10-31 07:36

Mthatha - A woman accused of witchcraft died in the Mount Ayliff hospital on Monday after being stoned by an angry mob, said Eastern Cape police.

Superintendent Nondumiso Jafta said: "They kept assaulting her, even when police arrived. But, thepolice managed to get her out of there eventually."

The half-naked woman was found lying on the doorstep of a man in the Mabunzi Village outside Kokstad about 04:00 on Monday.

Jafta said the woman was assaulted after she told a man she had bewitched his wife, who had died recently.

She apparently lifted the skimpy petticoat she was wearing to show the man her private parts. He wanted to know what she wanted.

She told him his wife was not dead, but had been bewitched by her and then offered to take him to her.

The man's wife was buried in August.

Burning-tyre rumour dismissed

The man roused his neighbours and the woman repeated the story to them.

"The crowd became angry and started beating her and throwing stones at her. She was seriously injured," said Jafta.

The woman was taken to Mount Ayliff Hospital where she later died.

Police said arrests were imminent.

Earlier reports that the woman had been doused with paraffin, set alight and had a tyre thrown around her could not be confirmed by police.

Jafta said: "She was just beaten, there was no mention of her being burned."

Last year, an elderly couple was killed by an mob of residents who accused them of being involved in witchcraft.

MEC in witchcraft drama

The Umlazi couple, Robert Myeni, 86, and Nomathamsanqu Qola, 85, were stabbed, wrapped in plastic, doused with petrol and then burned.

Thirteen people were arrested in KwaZulu Natal last year after they allegedly burnt a couple they believed used witchcraft to kill six children.

In 2000, KwaZulu-Natal MEC for education Faith Gasa refused to enter her office after suspecting that witchcraft had being used against her.

- SAPA