Sisters hacked to death

2005-09-22 22:10

Pietermaritzburg - Police in the KwaZulu-Natal midlands were searching for clues on Thursday after two elderly sisters accused of witchcraft were hacked to death and dumped in a sugarcane field in Maphumulo.

Police spokesperson Captain Joey Jeevan said Tutuzile Shandu, 64, her sister Bongekile Zungu, 60, and her daughter, 16, were in their home on Tuesday night when a man entered and started attacking them with a bush knife.

"He apparently entered and said, 'I have been hired to kill you'," he said.

"'I believe you are practising witchcraft'."

He started hacking them with the knife and they all ran out in different directions, Jeevan said.

She said Zungu's daughter spent the night hiding in the sugarcane field and only returned the next day out of fear for her life.

Jeevan said community members then launched a search for the two elderly women and one of the neighbours reported the matter to the police who started investigating the matter.

"Shandu's head was found 100m away from her body while her sister's throat was slit," said Jeevan.

She said the teenager was still terrified but in a stable condition after her leg was hurt in the attack.

No arrests had been made.

- SAPA