'Bewitched school': Kids return
2003-03-10 18:01
Bushbuckridge - Classes returned to normal at a Limpopo school where superstitious fears reached a fever pitch last week, resulting in the killing of a baboon believed to be a witch's familiar.
Pupils at Madlala High School in Justicia village, Bushbuckridge, boycotted classes for two weeks because they were convinced their school had been bewitched, resulting in a spate of deaths and violent brawls.
President of the student representative council Moses Mashele said: "We stayed away from school for a complete fortnight because we were scared.
"We have returned to class because the authorities assure us they will look deeper into the matter to find an amicable solution to the problem."
Have raised R12 000 for witch-hunt
Assurances by the education department and police have not, however, stopped parents from continuing to raise money to hire a sangoma in Swaziland to sniff out the witch.
Parents have already raised just more than R12 000 of the R16 000 needed.
The planned witch-hunt has raised alarm among police and a human rights organisation, who fear that innocent people may die.
"It's obvious that an inyanga will point out someone as a witch, and the question is, what will happen to that particular individual?" warned Brian Hundley, manager for the Pretoria-based NGO, People for Rural Advancement Institute.
"This is the sort of irresponsible vigilante activity that can explode into a nasty situation ending in the death of a person suspected of being the witch."
Captain Moatshe Ngoepe of Mopani police said they had warned the community that witch-sniffing was illegal.
"We condemned the fact that money was being collected to sniff out a witch because that could lead to someone getting killed," he said.
Police had helped to form a committee to investigate the pupils' concerns and were monitoring the situation closely to ensure there was no bloodshed.
The boycott began on February 24 after the latest in a series of deaths at the school.
On February 17, a pupil died after a short illness.
A 16-year-old boy was stabbed dead in a tussle with a classmate on February 21.
The next day, a 14-year-old boy was buried after hanging himself.
On the day the boycott started, two girls had a knife fight.
On March 4, eight pupils were injured with broken bottles and knives in a brawl about the results of a soccer match.
Captain Ngoepe confirmed that last Wednesday terrified villagers also killed a baboon, thinking a witch was using it to spy on them and cast spells. - African Eye News Service