'It is a black magic murder'
2003-02-04 22:49
Escort - A tiny rural Natal Midlands family was on Tuesday waiting to see if they had to be
relocated after two young boys died from ingesting what police
believe were extremely toxic chemicals in an animal shed.
Earlier reports said it was two girls who had died.
Zwelithini Mhlongo, 7, went to water his father's livestock on Monday
morning as he had done every morning. Seconds after
opening the door to the animal shed he collapsed and died.
His older
brother, Siyabonga, 10, tried to pull him out of the shed but collapsed and
died as well.
Within minutes 15 animals and the family dog were all dead outside the kraal. An SAPS fingerprint officer who
arrived several hours later to investigate also collapsed after taking
photographs inside the shed.
Policeman paralysed
Inspector Terance Singh had left the area and was returning in his vehicle
to Ladysmith when he was forced to stop his vehicle after losing the feeling
in his legs and developing severe dizziness.
After being rushed to the
Estcourt General Hospital, he was then airlifted to St Anne's hospital in
Pietermaritzburg where hospital staff said he was quarantined,
but in a stable condition.
Witness journalists also reported a burning sensation on the tongue after
leaving the area, despite remaining several metres away from the
contaminated shed.
Although heavy rain hindered chemical analysis efforts, emergency
rescue staff on site said that it was unlikely that
organophosphates were
to blame, since they were slower acting.
Revenge muti murder
The family's homestead in the Upper Mkhize area was
cordoned off by the Ladysmith Hazardous Materials Unit after
locals gathered to discuss what many, including the Mhlongo family, claim
was a revenge muti killing.
They say that the local tribal court failed
several weeks ago to resolve a long-standing feud between the Mhlongo family
and neighbours over land tenure and stock ownership.
The boys' father, Robert Mkhize, is a local sangoma, who is well known for
his traditional livestock remedies. SAPS officers and Environmental Health
Department officials said the deaths were most likely
linked to the ingestion of toxic chemicals used in the preparation of these
remedies.
The boys' older brother, Sibusiso Mhlongo, disagreed. "My father had always
known what he was doing when he made medicine. The two boys did not touch
anything, nor did the animals. It is a black magic killing."
Black clouds 'an omen'
While SAPS forensic experts investigated the deaths yesterday, ominous
black lightning clouds surrounded the area, reinforcing local convictions
that the deaths were muti related.
A flash storm could also have washed away possible traces of chemical
contaminants.